The Ultimate Return
by Darth Cody
Summary: Everyone is Back! With new friends, and new rivals, and shady pasts, how will they navigate the chaos that is life in the Smash Mansion? I own nothing except the story itself and the character of Rinka. Everything else belongs to their respective creators. Rated T for language and themes.
1. Bringing it Back

**Disclaimer: See summary.**

 **A/N: So, this is something I've been planning, I think since the E3 trailer dropped, and the concept has been evolving since then. As some of you may already be aware based on my story "Nothing to fear", there will be major Samelda (they are established to be married, and be mothers, by Ultimate. Don't worry, I'll explain it as the story progresses) and some Corrink (Female Corrin/Link). Also, I know that there might be a canon place for BoTW on the Zelda multi-timeline, but for the sake of simplicity, let's assume it takes place after Twilight Princess. Also, I've heard theories and headcanons that all of the fighters are just toys brought to life. Please enter this story knowing that those theories will not be in effect. As far as fictional video game characters go, they are the real deal. Now, on with the story.**

* * *

Mario and the other original 12 were the first to arrive, lugging their bags with them. Donkey Kong had offered to carry some of the other's stuff, and his generosity was graciously accepted. They were accompanied by Princess Peach, Bowser and Bowser Jr., Diddy Kong, and Falco.

Fox stretched, as he had fallen asleep on the train ride into Smash City. He squinted at the Mansion in the distance as he stepped off the bus. "Hey, guys." He said, cracking his knuckles. "Is it me, or does the mansion seem...I don't know, bigger?"

Link, rotating his shoulder, glanced at the large white and green mansion. "Come to think of it," He said, raising his eyebrows. "It _does_ look bigger."

"Yeah," Diddy added, scratching his head. "And they moved our treehouse." Sure enough, a large tree containing a wooden shack was jutting out of the left hand side of the building, with a bridge connecting it to the main structure.

"Huh," Donkey Kong added. "That's new."

Falco chuckled. "I betcha the Hands are planning on adding a lot of new fighters this time." He said.

"Sounds-a possible." Luigi said. "I'm-a hoping Daisy can-a join this time."

"Me too." Peach added cheerfully. "It would be nice to see my cousin participate."

"Hey, maybe Dixie will get in this year." Diddy chimed in.

"Heh," Donkey Kong chuckled, glancing at his nephew. "Maybe."

Link thought of something, and turned to the residents of the Mushroom Kingdom. "Hey, what about those two Inklings?" He asked. "Remember, from the Kart racing you guys invited me to? What were their names again?"

"Megan and Jake?" Peach asked.

"Yeah, yeah, that's them." Link replied.

"It _would_ be-a nice to see them again." Mario added.

"I just hope we don't get Ridley this time around." Samus growled. "If I have to stay in the same building as that monster, I'll strangle both of those oversized hands. It's bad enough that my wife got replaced by a different version of herself."

The gathered heroes (and villains) frowned. Everyone had been wondering during their own adventures how Zelda was doing in Hyrule, managing not only as a queen, but as a mother. It was a shame that they wouldn't be able to see her or Rinka again.

"Master Hand did mention at the closing ceremony last time that everyone from the fourth tournament would be coming back." Fox added.

"Mama!" Kirby chirped excitedly, thinking about Bayonetta.

"That's right, Kirby." Peach said with a smile. "That does mean Bayonetta will be back this time."

"Even if she did beat all of us silly last tournament." Bowser grumbled, thinking back to the beating he got from her.

"Ten Smash bucks saying they bring everyone back." Falco chuckled. "From every tournament."

"Pika pika pi?" Pikachu asked, hope laced in his voice. (Do you think my little brother might come back?)

"It's possible, little buddy." Samus shrugged. "You haven't seen your little brother in this world since the Melee tournament. But yeah, it would be nice to see everyone again."

Samus sighed, and she turned to Link. "Are you sure my wife didn't get the invitation this time?" She asked.

Link shrugged. "Yeah, it was just me." He said sadly. "I'm sorry, Samus."

"It's fine," Samus replied, though her tone suggested that it really wasn't.

"If it means anything," Link began. "I think I still have footage of Rinka's first words. And when she got her first tooth. And when she took her first steps. It's all on my Sheikah slate. I could show you later...if you want."

"Thanks, I guess," Samus sighed. "I just wish I could have been there to see it."

"Zelda wanted me to tell you that she's sorry she can't be here this tournament." Link continued. "She says she still loves you, and that they'll both miss you."

Samus' lip quivered. "Th-thanks, Link."

Link put a hand on Samus' shoulder. "Hey, are you going to be alright?" He asked.

"Yeah," Samus sighed. "I'll be fine."

Pikachu sensed his friend's distress, and leaped up onto her shoulders, nuzzling her face affectionately.

"Thanks buddy," Samus said with a smile, as she pet Pikachu's head. "At least you'll still be here for me."

"Pika! Pika pika pikachu, Pi Pika." He squeaked. (Of Course! You're my best friend, Samus.)

Link smiled at the two. They'd been friends pretty much since the beginning, and their bond had only strengthened during the Subspace War nearly ten years ago. Then, something crossed the Hero of the Wild's mind.

"Hey, Samus?" He asked.

"What's up, Elf Boy?" Samus replied.

"Do you think Corrin's going to like the new me?" Link wondered, gesturing to himself.

Samus chuckled, inspecting the young hero's physique. "Well, I honestly don't know how she's going to react." She shrugged. "But if it helps, try flexing. You look like you've been working out since she last saw you."

"Thanks," Link said, flexing his arms. "All that rock climbing certainly helped."

The fighters had reached the front door, but stopped. Donkey Kong, still carrying the majority of everyone's luggage, was struggling to open the front door.

"Hey, uh," He grunted, hoisting at least five bags over his head, along with his own bag, which was slung over his shoulder. "Someone mind gettin' the door? My hands are kinda full."

"I got it." Captain Falcon said, opening the door for the large gorilla.

"Thanks, man." Donkey Kong replied, smiling. The fighters entered the mansion, and were in awe. Apparently, King Dedede, the Meta Knight clone, and the Waddle Dees had gotten there before them, and had gotten right to work cleaning the place.

Fox whistled. "Wow, those Waddle Dees sure work fast." He said, as Donkey Kong carefully set down the bags he'd been carrying.

ROB and Mr. Game and Watch, the mansion's only permanent residents, came out to meet them.

"Greetings, Smashers." ROB said, monotonously. "Please leave all belongings in the foyer and follow me. Master Hand awaits you to sign in."

"[Welcome home, guys.]" Game and Watch beeped.

* * *

"So, I would like to extend all of you a warm welcome." Master Hand said, after everyone had signed in. "It's been rather quiet here since the end of the last tournament."

"Well, it's-a good to be back." Mario said cheerfully.

"It HaSn'T BeEn ThE sAmE wItHoUt YoU aLl." Crazy hand said, his voice rapidly rising and dropping in pitch.

"So, we noticed that the place is a lot bigger." Bowser noted. "I'm guessing you two have a lot of new fighters lined up."

"Well," Master Hand said. "We were planning on telling everyone at the opening festival tonight, so you all will know of the first few newcomers then."

Bowser nodded, understanding the Hands' reasoning.

"Now, I never thought I'd willingly hear myself say this," Link spoke up. "But what are your plans to do about Ganondork, I mean Ganondorf?"

Master Hand chuckled at Link's Freudian Slip, as did the others. "What do you mean, my boy?"

"Well, my timeline's Zelda told me after I defeated Calamity Ganon that he had given up his cycle of reincarnation." Link explained. "So I was wondering, since everyone from the last tournament is coming back, how you plan to bring him back?"

"Well," Master Hand said. "I'll see what I can do about that."

Link nodded. He and the others left the room, aside from Samus.

The Bounty huntress sighed. "So, which incarnation of Zelda did you guys decide to take my wife's place?" She asked.

The two hands looked at each other, somehow. "What are you talking about?" Master Hand asked.

"Link told me that he was the only one to get an invitation to the fifth tournament." Samus explained. "So I assumed he meant that my wife was getting replaced with a different incarnation of herself."

Master Hand looked at his brother, who did the closest thing to a shrug. "I sWeAr I sEnt TwO iNvItEs To ThE sAmE uNiVeRsE." He said.

"My brother is right." Master Hand added. "She should have been given an invitation. She and your daughter were both invited."

Samus' brows furrowed. A few different thoughts went through her head at once. "Yeah, you're probably right." She said finally, cracking her knuckles. "I guess I have an elf boy to punch."

* * *

As the remaining Smashers filed into the mansion, greetings were exchanged. Kirby ran forward when he saw the tall form of his adopted mother. "Poyo!" He shouted.

Bayonetta glanced down at the noise and smiled widely. She set her bags down and scooped him up. "Why, hello, little one." She cooed, planting little kisses on her son's head. He giggled in her arms, as she drew him into a tight hug. "I've missed you dearly, my shining star." She sighed. "Have you been behaving yourself in Dreamland?"

"Poyo!" He chirped, cuddling tighter into her grip.

She smiled as she planted another kiss on his forehead. "Well, I'm glad you're doing well, my child." She purred, hugging him tighter.

Corrin landed at the front door, shifting to human form and hoisting her bag over her shoulder, accompanied by Cloud Strife. Link stepped forward.

"Hello, miss." Link said, stepping forward. "Shall I take your bags for you?"

"Link?" Corrin asked, not recognizing him for a second. Cloud, however, recognized his roommate immediately.

"Dude, it's been a while." Cloud said, stepping forward. He and Link clasped hands, and shared a quick bro hug. "How've you been, man?"

"Eh, well," Link began, chuckling. "I got knocked out for about a hundred years, woke up with next to no memories of what happened, and had to single handedly save Hyrule...again. But other than that, I'm doing well. What about you?"

"Eh, same old same old." Cloud shrugged. "Tifa's still playing hard to get."

"Hey, don't worry about it, dude." Link said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Either she'll come around, or she won't. The worst that could happen is that she's dating someone else."

"Yeah," Cloud sighed with a smirk. "You're right. Seriously, man. You need to tell me how you got so good with girls."

Link laughed. "Hahaha, sure thing, dude." Then, the Hero of the Wilds seemed to finally notice the dragon princess. "Hey Corrie," He said, walking over to her. "Like the new me?" He spread his arms dramatically.

"Link..." Corrin said dreamily, as if captivated by her boyfriend's new look. Then she shook herself out of it. "Sorry, I...got distracted."

Link chuckled, and pulled her into a hug. "Whatever." He said. "I know you missed me."

"I did," Corrin said. She stood up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on her boyfriend's head, as he had grown several inches since the fourth tournament.

"Oi!" Shouted a voice in a thick British accent. "Will you two stop makin' out already? I need 'elp with my luggage 'ere."

"Shulk!" Link said, walking over and catching the scientist in a hug. "You look good, man. How's Bionis holding up?"

"Ah, where do I start?" Shulk huffed. "How've ya been, mate? You get a 'aircut?"

"And a fresh set of clothes." Link said, gesturing to his tunic.

"Ya look good, mate." Shulk said. Then he turned to the SOLDIER. "'Ello, Cloud. You doin' alright?" He held his fist out for the spiky haired champion.

Cloud returned the fist bump. "Yeah, I can't complain."

A group of Waddle Dees marched forward to take everyone's bags to their respective rooms, as was routine. "So, I asked Master hand, and we all have our old room back." Link said, as the little troopers left with his friends' bags. "All the rooming situations from the last tournament are back. Plus, since the mansion is bigger this time, that means we might get some new recruits."

"Alright!" Shulk said excitedly. "I'm hopin' for Rex. He's a friend from a different version of my world."

"Cool." Link said, eager to hear the story that would inevitably come next.

Cloud folded his arms over his chest. "Honestly, I'm hoping that doesn't mean I have to deal with him."

"Ah, come on, mate." Shulk said, frowning. "Why'd ya gotta spoil the mood?"

Corrin leaned into Link's ear. "Uh, Link?" She asked. "Who's he talking about?"

"Sephiroth." Cloud clarified. "The one-winged Angel. And my nemesis."

"Basically," Link said. "He's another edgy dude with crazy hair and an excessively big sword." Corrin chuckled.

"I bet he spends all his money on hair gel, too." Shulk added jokingly.

Cloud smirked for a second, then his face went serious again. "He never really did." He said solemnly. "He was too busy trying to destroy the world."

The four were silent for about ten seconds. Then, with a devilish smirk, Cloud added, "But yeah. The guy had enough edge to make Shadow and Pittoo jealous." Everyone burst out laughing.

Their moment was interrupted when a familiar figure approached. "Link," Sheik said, getting the Hero's attention. "Lady Zelda requires your assistance."

"Is she here already?" Link asked. The Sheikah guard nodded. "I'll be right there."

"There is no need," Zelda began, as she entered the mansion. She was carrying her bag under one arm.

"Lady Zelda," Sheik began. "Are you certain you do not need help."

"If I require assistance, I know how to ask for it myself." Zelda replied, smiling. "But thank you anyway, Sheik."

"Don't worry, your highness." Samus said, startling the group. "The Waddle Dees will be here soon to take your bags to your room."

"Oh," Zelda said with a start. "You must be Samus. My other self told me so much about you."

"I'm sure she did." Samus replied, planting a soft kiss on the princess' hand. "It is a delight to meet you, your Highness."

Shulk's eyes glazed over with blue light, a sign that he was having a vision. Corrin and Cloud glanced at the scientist, who smirked and looked at Link. "Well, we'd best be getting along, mate. I reckon it's nearly lunch time. Let's go, guys." He ushered the two out, likely to spare them from the mess that was about to go down.

"So," Samus said, turning to Zelda. "I'm guessing you're going to need your own room, since you're technically new here and all."

"Pardon?" Zelda asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, technically, you are a different entity from my wife, so it simply wouldn't do for us to share a bed." Samus replied with a shrug. "Or even a room."

Zelda's face flushed, and she averted her gaze. "Oh," She said. "I...Yes, I agree. It would be quite the scandal for a princess to be bedding with a married woman, yes."

"Not to mention," Link added, not wanting to be left out of the conversation. "Rumors spread in this house like wildfire."

"That's true." Samus said, nodding. "Nothing stays a secret for very long in these walls." Then, she turned to the Hylian princess. "By the way, I have to ask you something, Your Highness."

"Of course," Zelda replied.

"You don't suppose you could send my wife a message, when you get the chance. Could you do that?"

"I will...see what I can do, Mrs. Aran." Zelda replied evenly. "What would you like me to tell her?"

Samus grinned, before grabbing Zelda by the face and crashing her lips against the the other woman's. Zelda squeaked in surprise, before sinking into a soft moan. Her own hands reached up to cup Samus' face, before the two pulled away.

"Tell her that her champion is an absolutely terrible liar." Samus said playfully, smiling.

Zelda smiled as she pressed her forehead to Samus' own. "How did you know?" She asked.

Samus chuckled. "Well, that's a long story." She said. "But it started on the train into the city. I asked Link about his new look, and I remember asking him if the new look would apply to you too. Then he decided to tell me that you didn't get an invitation. Long story short, I found out he was lying just a few hours ago. When I asked the Hands which of your incarnations would be replacing you, they told me that they'd sent you an invitation."

"Darn it," Zelda grumbled mischievously.

"So you were in on this little joke?" Samus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Zelda admitted sheepishly. "I was going to surprise you. I guess I didn't think it through all that well."

Samus smirked. "Hindsight is 20/20." She said, laughing. "By the way, what adventure is that outfit from, anyway?"

"A Link Between Worlds." Zelda replied.

"You look cute in that outfit." Samus replied, giving Zelda a peck on the cheek.

Zelda chuckled and pulled Samus in for another kiss. Link, meanwhile, scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "So, uhh..." He began. "Am I...uh, free to go?"

"Yes, my champion." Zelda replied jokingly. "You are excused."

"But before I forget," Samus added, walking over and slugging Link in the shoulder. "That's for making me worry about my wife."

Link clasped a hand on the bruised shoulder and sighed. "Yeah, I kinda deserved that. Sorry." He turned to leave.

As he went off to reunite with his roommates and his girlfriend, Samus turned to her wife. "So, I'm guessing you were able to find a babysitter for our daughter."

"Nope." Zelda replied, smiling. "I brought her with me."

"Oh, really?" Samus asked, eyes widening. Zelda nodded. "Well, where is she?"

"Mama?" came a small voice from the doorway. Samus glanced over Zelda's shoulder to see a small child, no older than 10, standing there. The space-farer's smile widened as she absorbed the sight of her baby girl.

"Rinka." She said, as she knelt down. The little girl ran into her waiting arms. Samus laughed as she planted a few kisses on her daughter's face. "Oh, my little princess. You've gotten so big."

"I'm ten years old, Mama." Rinka replied.

"Yeah," Samus said. "The last time I saw you, you were just a tiny thing swaddled in blankets." Rinka giggled as she hugged Samus' shoulder. "Which reminds me," Samus continued, turning to Zelda. "How did she not age at all while Ganon was running wild in Hyrule?"

"Mommy used her magic to help me sleep." Rinka answered. "I stayed ten until Uncle Link woke up. He didn't remember me at first."

Samus chuckled as she kissed her wife's forehead again. "You really are something else, aren't you, babe?"

Zelda smirked. "I do my best."

"Am I interrupting something, loves?" asked a sultry voice. The three turned to see Bayonetta standing a few feet away, with Kirby, unsurprisingly, trailing next to her.

"Oh," Zelda said, as she walked over to greet the Umbra Witch. "Hello, Bayonetta." She gave the taller woman a quick hug, which the Angel hunter returned happily. "It's good to see you again."

"I could say the same for you, love." Bayonetta replied with a smirk. Then her eyes locked on Rinka. "Oh, my! Is that little baby Rinka?"

"Hey," The Hylian princess huffed. "I'm not a baby."

"Not anymore, it seems." Bayonetta chuckled. Samus extended her arms, as if asking the witch to hold Rinka. "I take it you don't remember who I am, child."

"You're Miss Bayonetta, right?" Rinka asked. "Mommy told me about you."

"Oh, did she?" Bayonetta replied, raising an eyebrow. "All good things, I hope."

"Poyo?" Kirby chirped.

"You must be Kirby." Rinka said, as the Umbra witch set her down. "I'm Rinka. Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand, expecting him to shake her hand. Instead, he chirped happily and jumped into her arms. "Aww, I like you too, Kirby. I can tell you and I are gonna be good friends."

"Poyo!" Kirby cooed.

"Awww." All three women said at once, smiling at the pureness going on. Then Samus glanced at Bayonetta. "So, what did you need to tell us?"

"Now that everyone has arrived, it's time for the opening ceremony." Bayonetta explained. "The Hands said they have a big announcement to make."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Samus asked. "Let's go!"

* * *

As the five entered the food court, everyone else turned to them. Rinka suddenly seemed overwhelmed, and buried her face in Samus' shoulder. "Hey, it's okay, sweetie." Samus said, tracing small circles into her daughter's back. "You don't have to worry, princess. They all remember you."

"They do?" Rinka asked quietly. Samus nodded. "Ok."

The five of them sat at one of the circular tables, along with Peach, Rosalina, and Paluetena. Rinka sat between her mothers, directly across from Peach. "Oh my gosh," The Mushroom Kingdom's monarch said. "Is that Rinka?"

"It is," Zelda said, turning to face her daughter. "Say hi, Rinka."

"Hello." The young princess replied quietly.

"Hi, Rinka!" Peach greeted loudly. "I'm Peach. I'm a princess too."

"Really?" Rinka asked, her eyes lighting up. "Wow."

"Hello, child." Rosalina said calmly. "My name is Rosalina. And this is Palutena."

"Are you two princesses too?" Rinka asked.

The two women chuckled. "Actually," Rosalina replied. "I'm more of a queen, and Palutena is a goddess."

"Whoa," Rinka gasped, stars in her eyes. "And I thought there were only three goddesses."

Zelda chuckled. "Well, yes." She explained. "In our universe, there are only three. But in other universes, there are different pantheons."

"That's so cool." Rinka said.

"Pika pika?" squeaked a voice nearby. (What's going on?). Rinka turned around and gasped. Standing a few feet away was a small yellow creature that the young princess had never seen before. He seemed to be holding a bottle of ketchup.

"Oh, hey Pikachu." Samus said, picking the little creature up. "Did you want to say hi to Rinka."

The furry mouse glanced to Rinka and his eyes widened. "Pika?! Pi Pikachu Pika." He squeaked. (That's Rinka? Wow, she grew up fast.)

"Oh my gosh, he's so CUTE!" Rinka said, as she scooped the little electric mouse into her arms. "He's so fuzzy and soft!"

Samus smiled and patted her daughter on the shoulder. "He likes it when you pet him between the ears." She advised.

Rinka began doing just that, as Pikachu protested. "Pika! Pikachu Pika?" he squealed. (Hey! How dare you tell her my secrets?). But as the Hylian princess continued gently running her hand between the small Pokémon's ears, he began to relax. "Piiiikaa..." He purred. (That feels niiice.)

The moment ended when the princess made a slight error. She touched one of his rosy cheek pouches, and got a head of frizzy hair for her troubles.

"Eep!" She shouted, a literal jolt running through her body. She shook her finger and stuck it in her mouth.

Samus threw her head back and laughed. "Yeah, haha." She said. "I made the same mistake when I first met the little guy. Apparently, those rosy cheeks of his are where he stores electricity."

Rinka took her finger out of her mouth and whimpered. "I'm so sorry, Pikachu." She said, hugging the little mouse. "I didn't know."

"Pika Pika. Pikachu Pika. Pika Pi?" The small rodent replied. (Don't worry. It didn't really hurt me that much. Are you ok?)

"Yeah," Rinka replied with a grin. "It just shocked me, that's all." The other Smashers at the table, minus Kirby, chuckled at Rinka's joke before something clicked in Pikachu's mind.

"Pika Pi. Pika Pikachu?!" He said. (Wait a second. You can understand me?!)

"Yeah," Rinka said, as if it were nothing. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Samus, who had come to the same realization her furry friend had, stared down at her daughter. "It took me months to figure out what he was saying to me." She said.

"I've always had a gift with understanding animals' thoughts." Rinka explained. Zelda nodded. "And I'm going to assume that Pokémon count as animals."

"Pi...Pika pikachu Pika Pi Pikachu." Pikachu said, pondering the idea. (Well...As far as I know, all Pokémon could be considered animals.)

The various conversations came to a halt as the two avatars of the Hands stepped on stage. Everyone turned their attention to the stage.

"Greetings, everyone." Master Hand said, a stack of papers in his hands. "Welcome back, glad you all made it safely, oh you get the idea." Many of the gathered residents applauded, and Master Hand nodded. As the applause subsided, Master Hand flipped through his notes.

"Thank you, thank you." He continued. "Now, I had a long speech made ready, but I know you're all eager to get back to eating. So I'll try to keep it brief." This earned laughter from the majority of the Smashers. "So, I shall start with the small things. As of now, all previous rooming situations will stay the same. And for those who may not remember, both the indoor and outdoor pools will be open 24/7. However, those whom are recognized as children, as well as Sonic, will be required to be accompanied by an adult if they wish to use the pools between 8 pm and 6 am. The food hall will also be open from 5 am to 11 pm everyday.

"Also, anyone who wishes to leave the grounds between 11 pm and 5 am will need to check in at my office, and provide a clear reason for doing so. Mewtwo has agreed to retake his position as groundskeeper, and his job of ensuring those who tend to sleepwalk are kept safe." Mewtwo nodded, confirming that he had in fact agreed to these terms. Master Hand continued. "Apart from that, all are free to go anywhere in the mansion or on the grounds during curfew hours, as long as they do not intend to disturb other residents. As always, exceptions will be made for April Fools' Day," There were mischievous looks exchanged between some of the younger residents.

"Now that that's out of the way," Master Hand said, looking up from his notes with a grin. "The moment you've all been waiting for." He nodded to his brother, who flicked a few buttons on the remote in his hands. At once, the lights down, and the projector flickered to life.

"At the end of the last tournament," Master Hand continued. "I felt proud of how well it went. After all, the Smash Brothers Tournaments have always been about building bridges between the many worlds. And about forging new bonds. But, I thought to myself, how could I top that? And then, it hit me." He stepped aside as the projector screen widened. "I'm sure you all will enjoy what my brother and I have planned." They stepped off stage, as the presentation began.

It opened up with what the new Battlefield stage would look like, earning oohs and ahhs from the crowd at the detail in the new stage. Muted applause swept through the audience as the red-capped plumber leaped into view. As the presentation went through each of the different characters, applause from said hero or villain and their companions would erupt.

Bowser seemed pleasantly when he saw the changes made to his final smash. Donkey Kong oohed at the effect that took place when it showcased him hitting an opponent. Sonic and Pikachu also seemed pleased with the updates to their respective final smashes. And then...

"YES!" Dedede screamed. Everyone aside from those who debuted in the fourth tournament shot to their feet in an explosion of applause as it was revealed that Popo and Nana were returning. Those who were unfamiliar with the Ice Climbers joined the applause when it showed that the Inklings had been invited. Then, there was a thunderous roar from Charizard as he learned that his trainer and best friends, Squirtle and Ivysaur, were finally back.

The crew from Hyrule nodded in contentment at Ganondorf's return to his Ocarina of time look. Then, the music stopped for a minute. Someone in the crowd gasped at the backdrop about half a second before the next character was revealed.

"SNAKE'S BACK!" Toon shrieked, as those from the third tournament erupted into cheers. It got even more hectic as words typed themselves over Snake's image.

 **EVERYONE IS HERE!**

Pikachu was standing on Samus' head, and his eyes lit up at the sight of his baby brother. Lucina and Dark Pit seemed confused by the small "E" symbols next to their names. The crew from Hyrule again burst into cheers at seeing Young Link again. Even Fox and Falco seemed happy, or at least satisfied, seeing that Wolf was back. Finally, the name of the tournament faded into view.

 **SUPER SMASH BROS. ULTIMATE**

The lights came back on as the screen darkened. The crowd rose to their feet, in a riot of applause. Master Hand and his brother bumped fists. "I tHiNk We NaIlEd It, BrO."

"Ladies, Gentlemen, and ROB," Master Hand said as the two hands' avatars walked back on stage. "Welcome, to the Ultimate Tournament." The crowd went wild again. "Thank you, all of you." Master Hand continued once the applause had died down. "Now, please give a round of applause for all of your friends. Let's give them a warm welcome home."

As the returning veterans joined their friends, the gathered heroes and villains continued to cheer them on. Charizard watched as Red, who was accompanied by Leaf, approached his table. He doused Red in an affectionate burst of flame. "It's good to see you too, buddy." Red said, burying his face in Charizard's embrace. "I missed you." Charizard crooned, before glancing up at Leaf.

"Hi, Charizard." She said, petting the fire lizard's chin. "I got invited too. My team's looking forward to seeing you again."

Pichu joined Pikachu at their table, but as it got closer, Pikachu noticed something was right. "Pika, pika pikachu. Pika Pika?" He squeaked. (Hang on, you're not my brother. Who are you?)

"Pi Pichu. Pichu pi." The smaller rodent replied. (I'm your niece. Daddy says hi.) She fished a picture from the fur on her back, showing her and her dad, a Raichu, in what looked like an office.

"Pika pi?" Pikachu asked. (Is he at my office?)

"(Yeah. He said he'd keep things going while you were here.)" Pichu explained. "(Yeah. He said he'd keep things going while you're out. Besides, the invitation specifically called for a Pichu.)"

"What's going on, buddy?" Samus asked, her voice sore from cheering.

"(You know how us Pokémon reps are from different worlds, right?)" He asked. She nodded. "(Well, in my world, I work as a detective. And no, I'm not THAT Detective Pikachu. That's just a huge coincidence. But my brother always wanted to follow in my paw prints, so I guess he's running things down at the precinct in my absence. But I didn't know he had a daughter.)"

"(Well, it's nice to meet you, Uncle.)" Pichu said. "(I look forward to testing my skills in this tournament)."

"(Me too,)" Pikachu squeaked back.

Meanwhile, a large ruckus over by King Dedede's table drew the Brawl tournament veterans over. Captain Falcon had a shoulder slung over the retired mercenary's shoulder, and everyone who'd been there for the third tournament were eager to catch up with their old friends.

"Eheheheheh," Dedede chuckled heartily, as he embraced his old buddies. "How've ya been, you two?"

"Oh, it's been nuts, triple D." Nana said happily. "I gotta say, it's good to be back."

"Heh, it hasn't been the same without you guys." The penguin king replied. "Now we can finally have some quality time in the Hammer club again!"

"So," Samus asked, turning her attention to Snake. "What have you been up to, soldier?"

"Eh, been in retirement." Snake shrugged, with Kirby still clinging to his leg for dear life. "I've been up in Alaska with Otacon and Sunny, training for the Iditarod."

"Oh, you don't say." Zelda said, walking over to greet him. "And how has that been going for you?"

"Well," Snake began. "The dogs are still a bit young to compete. Give them a few more months and they'll be ready."

"Puppies?" Rinka chimed in, excitedly.

Snake looked down at the small child. Then he looked at Zelda. "Is she yours?"

Zelda chuckled as she picked Rinka up. "What gave it away?"

Snake smirked. "The elf ears, for one thing." He joked.

The various reunions were interrupted when Master Hand cleared his throat. "Yes, yes, it's good to see that everyone's back. But we have a few more rules and announcements to go over.

"Question," Lucina said, raising her hand. At the nod from Master Hand, she continued. "Pittoo and I noticed that there were little E symbols next to our names."

Dark Pit groaned at that dreaded name, but otherwise ignored it. "What she's trying to say, is what exactly does that mean?"

"Ah, of course." Master Hand replied, clasping his hands together. "Those are meant to signify that you two are 'Echo' fighters. That means that you two are given the same basic movesets and statistics of other fighters, those being Sir Marth and Pit, respectively."

Lucina nodded, understanding the situation. Master Hand grinned. "And, it gets even better. Please welcome the two newest Echo fighters."

The fighters turned to the stage, as two new figures arrived on stage, one at a time. The first erupted from nowhere, in an explosion of orange flower petals.

"I'm here, baby!" The figure in question shouted, revealing herself as the princess of Sarasaland herself, Daisy. This earned more applause from the denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom, especially Luigi.

The orange clad princess bowed deeply. "Thank you, thank you." Then, she ran off the stage and practically bowled into her cousin, Peach. "Hiya, cousin. So good to see you."

"I could say the same, Daisy." Peach said cheerfully.

Then, Daisy turned to Luigi. "Hey, Weege. Miss me?" The green clad plumber blushed, before Daisy scooped him up in a tight hug, kissing him on the forehead.

"It's-a g-good to see you, Daisy." He stammered. Daisy chuckled.

"Okay," Sonic asked, even as he and his brothers chuckled at the display. "That's one. Who's the other?"

Master Hand just smiled. "I think I'll just let him introduce himself."

As if on cue, a figure dropped down from the rafters onto the stage. He looked up and smirked. "Hey, everyone." He said. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles gasped in shock as a humanoid form landed on the stage, before he stood up. Everyone else, aside from Daisy for some reason, seemed completely lost on who this was.

He stood about five feet tall, with navy blue hair, shimmering green eyes, and skin that seemed just slightly fake. He smirked and waved to the crowds. "I'm looking forward to meeting you all. I gotta say, I'm honored to be here with all of you."

His actions did nothing to clear up everyone's confusion. At least until Sonic shouted, "Metal?!" Then, the boy's eyes locked with the hedgehog's own, and the boy on stage immediately froze up. He suddenly wished he was anywhere else.

Realization began to dawn on the other fighters, and Mario turned to his old rival turned best friend, and said, "That's-a Metal Sonic? He looks-a so different."

Knuckles was the first to clarify. "He just goes by Metal, now." He explained. "And it's a long story."

As this was going on, Master Hand was going through some more things on his list. "Now that that's been settled," He said. "I have a few more rules to go over. No smoking will take place inside. So Snake, as happy as everyone is to have you back, please save your smoking habits for when you're outside. Also, to the Inkling kids, if any ink is found on the walls, it will be the responsibility of whomever left it there to clean it up. The Waddle Dees have enough to do around the house. In fact, this applies to everyone. Please be aware of the messes you all leave, and remember to clean up after yourselves.

"Now, I already mentioned that roommate situations from last tournament have not changed. However, seeing as we have new residents this time around, as well as returning veterans, there are a few additions. Metal will be bunking with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Daisy will be sharing a room with Peach and Rosalina. Snake will be returning to share his room with Captain Falcon and Lucario. Jake will be sharing a room with Ness, Lucas, and Popo. Nana and Megan will be sharing a room with Rinka, as she is now old enough to have her own room. In addition..."

Meanwhile, Sonic was guiding Metal to their table. "Dude," Sonic said, as the two of them sat down. "I haven't seen you in months. What on Earth happened, man?"

Metal just clutched his arm, guilt written on his face. "I...I don't want to talk about it just yet."

Tails placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay, man. If you're not ready to talk about it, that's fine. Just know that we'll be there when you're ready."

Metal smiled. "Thanks, bro." He said. He put an arm around Sonic and another over Tails and Knuckles. "I really missed you guys."

"Oh, I'm sure that you all will have a lot to look for in the coming months." Master Hand continued. "I must apologize, but at this current time, I cannot divulge everything concerning the upcoming tournament. But I'm sure you all understand why. Also, as an extra amount of attention was poured into accommodating everyone this time. This means that you all shouldn't get your hopes up for too many new recruits." There was a pause. "However, we do have one more surprise for now."

Over at Link's table, Shulk's eyes glossed over with blue light. "Uh, oh." He said. "I'm plugging my ears now." He put his hands over his ears and shut his eyes.

"What's wrong, Shulk?" Link asked.

"We're 'bout to find out, mate." Shulk responded grimly.

Cloud shut his eyes and crossed his fingers, muttering, "Anyone but Sephiroth, anyone but Sephiroth, anyone but Sephiroth."

At that moment, something rumbled behind the wall on stage. Then, in a burst of flames, a large shape exploded from the wall. The massive form of Ridley took the stage, earning horrified gasps from most of the fighters. He threw his head back and screeched. Then he surveyed his new batch of victims, relishing in the fear he sensed from them all. Except one.

"ARE YOU (HONK)ING KIDDING ME?!" Samus screamed, her voice cracking from the strain. In a second, she was flying to her feet and summoning her armor. She took aim at Ridley as Zelda wrapped her arms around Rinka protectively. Pikachu leapt onto the table and readied himself for battle, his cheek pouches crackling with electricity.

Most of the other Smashers simply flinched at Samus' outburst, and Link was half expecting her to open fire on the massive space pirate. Instead, she turned her arm cannon on Master Hand's avatar and started unloading rounds of plasma fire at him.

"HOW DARE YOU LET THAT MONSTER INTO THIS TOURNAMENT?!" Samus screamed, even as Master Hand threw up a defensive barrier to absorb the blows without risking damage to the room, or the other fighters.

After another minute of protective fury, Samus stopped firing, breathing heavily. Then she stepped out of her armor and stormed off. "I'm going to let off some steam in the dojo," She seethed, her body still trembling with rage. Then she fixed the Hand's Avatar with a glare that could have turned Medusa to stone. "And then you and I are going to have a very long talk about this."

Metal, who'd been frozen along with nearly everyone else, leaned over to Sonic and whispered, "Uhh, I don't want to sound ignorant, but what exactly was that about?"

"Ridley is Samus' nemesis," Sonic explained. "He killed her parents in front of her when she was just a kid."

Metal's eyes widened. "Yikes," He said. "That almost makes what I did seem like nothing."

 **A/N: Yeah, I'mma just end it there for now. I know, I have a lot to explain here. And I'll try to have it come up in future chapters, you know, so it feels less like I'm dumping exposition on you guys. But yeah, Samus is rightfully pissed with the idea of her nemesis being in the tournament, especially with her daughter around.**

 **Also, I accidentally typed Ganondork the first time, but decided to add it as Link's freudian slip instead of deleting it altogether. So that was as much my freudian slip as it was Link's.**

 **As for what Metal did that was so bad, well...let's just say, _stay tuned_.**

 **Until then, please Read, Review, Favorite, and Follow, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out, and may the Force be with you. Always.**


	2. Catching Up and Cooling Down

**Disclaimer: See Summary.**

 **A/N: Well, that was fast. So, something I forgot to mention in the last chapter was that King Dedede will be portrayed as his appearance in Kirby: Right Back At Ya, because why not. Also, I mentioned a "Meta Knight Clone" for reasons that will likely be expanded upon in the near future. Also, I have plans for what happened with Metal concerning why he went missing, but I want to save that for a oneshot. It will tie into this story, but I feel that the contents of that story might venture into M rated territory, cause I'm a bit of a pansy.**

 **Warning: Some language and mild themes in this chapter.**

 **Anyway, let's continue where we left off, shall we?**

* * *

With every blow she landed on the punching bag, she felt her anger rise. She grunted and shouted as she continued driving her fists into the blank stare of the sandbag.

"Those...stupid...damned...hands," She grunted, emphasizing each word with another punch. "I...fucking...hate...both...of...them!" With a scream, she punched the bag so hard that it snapped off the chain and sailed into the wall.

Samus panted as she rested her hands on her knees. "Damn those oversized hands." She hissed. "Why the hell would they do this to me?"

"Want a sparring partner?" called a new voice.

Samus swung around, and to her surprise, Ryu was standing in the doorway to the dojo, arms crossed over his chest. "Oh," Samus panted, as he walked over to her. "Hey, Ryu. Why aren't you down in the mess hall, with everyone else?"

Ryu sighed. "You opened fire on Master Hand and stormed out on us." He explained. "After that, everyone just left to go do their own thing. Honestly, I can't say I've ever seen you that angry before."

"Well," Samus huffed. "How would you react if someone you hated was added to the tournament?"

Ryu pondered the question for a moment. "Honestly, I'd be more surprised than anything else." He replied. Then he held up an arm and adopted a ready stance. "How about we have a friendly spar, so you can vent."

"Sounds like a good idea." Samus replied, aiming a high kick at the wandering street fighter. He blocked, and she tried a different angle of attack. "So," She continued, "Why'd you decide to find me."

"I figured something was wrong when you stormed away like that." Ryu answered, casually blocking her attacks. "Is something bothering you?"

"Yeah," Samus replied, taking a swing. "Ridley was added to the fight. I don't like that."

"Okay, I got that." Ryu said. "But why?"

Samus paused in her attacks to catch her breath. "He devoured my parents when I was just a child." She said, through gritted teeth. "He ravaged my home, and left. He's been after me since."

Ryu nodded as he deflected a side punch. "I know the feeling." He admitted. "I was devastated when I returned home one day and saw my sensei, supposedly killed by his brother, Akuma. Granted, I found out later that he had survived, but that's besides the point. I'm guessing that Ridley being here has you worried about your wife and daughter."

"Yeah," Samus confirmed. "And I don't want my baby girl to have to suffer the way I did. And I sure as hell will not let that bastard anywhere near anyone I love while he's here. So as soon as this tournament ends, I'm putting his ugly purple ass back in the ground."

She stepped back and paused to catch her breath. Ryu nodded, apparently having not even broken a sweat. "And what are you going to do about Master Hand?"

"Well," Samus sighed. "I'm going to go let those two what I think about their brilliant decision."

"Hopefully, it won't involve you blowing either of them up." Ryu joked, smirking.

"I would never," Samus gasped, feigning offense. "But yeah, they'll be getting an earful from me about this. By the way, why did you want to help me with this?"

"Because," Ryu explained solemnly. "I know what it's like to allow your anger and rage to take control."

Samus frowned. "Oh, right." She said. "The Satsui no Hado."

Ryu rolled his shoulder and stared at his fist. "I have much more control over it than I used to, but the fear that I might lose that control again still haunts me. I just don't want you to be consumed by your anger. Your family doesn't need that."

"Alright," Samus sighed. "I'll try to keep it together."

* * *

"So, you couldn't have at least told me that you decided to invite Ridley?" Samus asked. She was currently in Master Hand's office, with the Hand himself sitting across from her, still in his human form.

The Master of Ceremonies laced his fingers together, resting his elbows on the desk. "Now, honestly, you took the news slightly better than my brother and I expected, and I knew you would react the way you did. And I have an explanation. You see, at the end of the last tournament, we had an idea to bring everyone back who had ever participated in the Smash Brothers Tournaments."

"Yeah, you told everyone that earlier." Samus added.

"Yes," Master Hand continued. "Well, we also looked for recommendations for new characters to add to the roster. So we sent invitations to anyone we felt could stand a chance at joining the tournament. Among those who were also requested were Banjo and Kazooie, Bandana Dee, Shadow, Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon."

"But they didn't make the cut, did they?" Samus asked.

"Actually, most of them declined." Master Hand explained. "Banjo and Kazooie were off on their own adventure, Bandana Dee preferred to remain one of King Dedede's supporters, and Shadow actually sent a letter recommending Metal Sonic instead."

"He WaS vErY vOcAl AbOuT nOt WaNtInG tO bE lAbElEd A cOpY oF sOnIc." Crazy Hand added.

"And what about Crash and Spyro?" Samus asked.

"We haven't received their response letters yet." Master Hand shrugged. "We are going to accept a few late responses, but if they don't respond by then, they won't be added."

"Okay, then." Samus nodded. "So you basically sent a bunch of other people their invitations, and most of them declined or have yet to answer. That means that Ridley came of his own accord. I understand now. I'm sorry for lashing out like that."

"No need to apologize, Samus." Master Hand reassured. "Your reaction was entirely understandable."

"Well," The space traveller replied. "Could you please do something to keep Tall, Dark and Ugly from killing anyone here, especially my wife and daughter?"

"Absolutely." Master Hand said, standing up and walking around to face Samus. "I promise that Ridley will not be a threat outside of the battlefield." He extended his hand to shake hers.

"Alright, I'll take that." She said, taking his hand. He winced as she crushed it in her grip. "But I will be holding you and your brother to that promise. Got it?"

"Loud and clear." Master Hand replied calmly.

"Good." Samus smiled as she released his hand. "I'll be seeing you guys at dinner. I have a wife and kid to catch up with."

* * *

"So yeah, that's the mansion for you." Sonic said, as he guided Metal to their room.

The synthetic human whistled at how pristine the room was. "Nice digs, bro."

"Heh, would you really expect any less of me?" Sonic teased.

"Nope," Metal replied with a smirk. He tossed his bags onto the top bunk on the left, claiming it as his. "So, aside from beating the snot out of each other, what else do you guys do for fun around here?"

"Lots of things." Knuckles answered. "There's karaoke, video games, and we watch movies every so often."

"Yeah," Sonic added. "And besides, the Tournament doesn't technically start until December 7, so we're all going to have to entertain ourselves in the mean time somehow."

Metal nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense." He said. Then his face fell. "So, uhh...how's everyone been lately?"

Sonic's face scrunched up in thought. "Eh, same old same old." He said. "Rouge and Alexa are still dating. I think Maria's planning on reworking Eggman's old stuff, or something like that. Other than that, yeah, not much has changed."

"And what about..." Metal hesitated. "What about Bianca?"

"Honestly," Sonic shrugged. "I don't know. She was doing well when I got the invitation for this tournament. Why?"

"Did she...ask about me at all?" Metal asked nervously.

"Well, she said she missed you." Sonic explained. "She's worried about you, bro."

"I figured," Metal said. "But I still don't know if I can even face her after what I did."

"Maybe if you told us what the heck happened," Knuckles said. "Then we could help you."

"And I've already told you," Metal snapped, before he tried calming himself down. "I'm not ready to talk about it yet. Besides, you guys are smart. Put the pieces together." Then he sighed. "Look, I've done things that I'm not proud of. And when I feel confident that I can talk about it with you, I'll do that."

"I just have a question, Metal." Tails asked softly. "Did you miss us at all, while you were wherever you were for those past few months?"

Metal took a deep breath. "I did." He admitted. "Every day."

"Then why didn't you come back?" Sonic asked.

"Because," Metal said. "I'm a monster. I'm a powder keg of anger, just waiting to explode again. I had to keep reminding myself that you guys didn't deserve to be associated with me because of that."

"That's total garbage, bro." Sonic replied. It caught the robotic human off guard. "If that were the case, we wouldn't hang out with Shadow."

"Yeah, well..." Metal argued. "Shadow didn't know any better. Besides, he doesn't like hanging out with you guys."

"That's just how Shads is." Sonic countered. Then he put a hand on his brother's arm. "But the point is, no matter what happens, you're still my brother. Through the good, bad, and ugly."

"So you're just going to sweep the fact that I killed Eggman and threatened you under the rug?"

Sonic winced, but didn't remove his hand. "That's in the past, buddy." He said. "But if it helps, the others aren't going to hold it against you either."

"Not even Bianca?" Metal asked.

"Especially not her." Sonic assured. Metal smiled a little. "Hey, it's like I said. We've got your back, bro." The blue blur pulled his brother into a hug. "Don't ever forget that."

"Yeah," Tails added, as he and Knuckles joined the bro moment. "We'll get through this together."

Metal sniffled. "Thanks guys." He choked out as he wrapped his arms around all three of them. "I'm sorry for running away."

"You just needed to clear your head." Knuckles reasoned. "I do that all the time."

"But you didn't do it after you'd just killed someone." Metal argued.

"Can we just move past that?" Sonic asked. "What's done is done. We can only move forward from here."

"Yeah," Metal agreed. "Yeah, you're right."

* * *

Link found his girlfriend out by the outdoor pool, reclining in one of the chairs. The sunglasses on her eyes made it hard for the Hero of Wilds to tell if she was awake. Then she sat up and looked at him.

"Hey, Link." She said, offering him the chair next to hers. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Link replied. "I'm just worried about Samus."

"Oh, yeah." Corrin replied, remembering back to earlier that day, when Samus opened fire on Master Hand in a fit of rage. "She really hates Ridley, doesn't she?"

"Apparently," Link began. "He killed and ate her parents when she was a kid."

"Yikes," Corrin gaped, eyes widening. "I guess that would make me want to blow up Master Hand."

"Yeah," Link continued. "And with Zelda and Rinka here, I can see why Samus is so angry."

"Same." Corrin agreed. "If I were in her position, and someone I considered my nemesis had been invited to the tournament, I'd certainly be concerned for the safety of my spouse and my child."

Link's face flushed, and he seemed like he had something to add on the matter.

"Is something on your mind, Link?" Corrin asked.

"Uh..." Link's brain shut down. "Would you like to...go grab something for dinner with me?" Nice save, dude, he thought.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Linkie?" Corrin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I, uh, well, yes." Link stammered. He'd never really been good talking to girls. It was a miracle he'd made it this far in his relationship with Corrin at all. "If...If you're not busy tonight."

"Hmm..." Corrin pondered, cupping her chin. "As long as you change out of that goofy tunic."

Link raised an eyebrow, and looked down at his clothes. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"I'm pretty sure we only need to wear our battle outfits for matches during the tournament." Corrin explained.

"Okay then," Link said. "Yeah, I'll go change."

"Great." Corrin said, smiling. "Where did you want to go?"

"Well," Link began. "I saw this cute little Pizza place in town. We could try going there."

"Sounds good." Corrin said, standing up.

"Where are you going, Corrie?" Link asked.

"If this place is like any of the other places in town, it has a 'No shirt, No shoes, no service' policy." Corrin explained, gesturing to her bare feet. "I'm going to put something more appropriate for a pizza date on."

"Yeah, you're right," Link said, following her. "I'm going to go get changed now, too."

As the two walked back up to the Mansion, Link spotted his roommates smiling back at him. "Hey guys," Corrin said as she passed them.

"'Ey, Corrin." Shulk said.

"So," Cloud said, turning to Link with a smug grin. "That's your secret to women? Stumbling over your words and pretending you're not about to pass out?"

"Shut up," Link grumbled playfully as he tried to ignore them.

"Oi, Link." Shulk piped up. "We'll be sure to remember your advice, mate."

The Hylian only responded to the scientist's snide remark by flipping them both the bird.

 **A/N: Yeah, a shorter chapter this time around. But honestly, between this story and "Two Souls, One Goal", I have a lot to think about right now.**

 **Anyway, to clarify, Bianca in this situation is Circus Baby, and I'm (eventually) going to write a story about why she changed her name. But in the words of Mr. Hippo, "That is neither here nor there."**

 **And yeah, Metal actually did kill Eggman off, which explains why he was so ashamed to show his face to his brothers again. Now, Sonic and company have already put the pieces together that Metal did it, but what Metal doesn't feel ready to discuss is why it happened. That part comes later.**

 **So, next chapter is going to sound familiar, because it's the events of "Nothing to Fear" absorbed back into this story. I'll give this chapter a few days to settle in before uploading chapter 3.**

 **Until then, please read, review, favorite, and follow, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out, and may the Force be with you. Always.**


	3. Nothing to Fear

**Disclaimer: See Summary.**

 **A/N: Hey, this is familiar. It's like I said, I was going to incorporate this into my major story. I just needed to make a few modifications for the sake of making sense.**

* * *

Samus was still fuming. She'd been forlorn when she thought that her wife Zelda wasn't returning for the fifth tournament. Thankfully, Zelda's new appearance was merely cosmetic, as it was for all the affected fighters from Zelda's worlds, besides Link. And their baby girl Rinka, despite having aged ten years, had survived Calamity Ganon's assault on Hyrule. And she remembered her own mama, so that was a plus. Samus reasoned that she could have forgiven that oversized hand for bringing a new Zelda to the roster.

But this was something she still could not forgive.

She had already voiced her disdain for the presence of her most dangerous enemy, and she would hold those two hands to their word to deal with the issue somehow. But she still needed to vent her anger. And she knew where to go to do so.

She found him in one of the mansion's various lounges, eating something she somehow knew he had hunted and killed himself. He paused mid bite when he saw her approach. A wicked smile graced his vile features, and he made a show of licking the blood and fur from his jaws.

"So," he rasped, downing the rest of his kill. "I take it the hands were not very helpful."

Samus tried to hide how disgusted she was with his behavior, in spite of the fact that she truthfully didn't expect anything less of him.

"They said they would do something to keep you from causing trouble." She replied evenly. Ridley, however, could sense the contained fury in her voice. He licked his long, sharp claws and narrowed his eyes down at her. Even with the enchantments the hands had used to bring him back to life, he still towered over her.

"Look," Samus continued. "I _hate_ you. I hate that you got added to the roster. Nothing will ever change that." She sighed. "But, there's not really anything I can do but suck it up and take it in stride." She stared him straight in the eye. "But I will not let you push me around while you're here."

His maw curled in a sinister grin. "Oh, I'd expect nothing less from you, Aran." He purred. His tail flicked out, almost cutting across Samus' leg. "But that's not why you are here, is it?"

Samus took a deep breath. "The Hands told me that they warned you that there would be no eviscerations, murders, homicides..."

"...Or excessive violence of any kind outside of matches." Ridley interrupted. "Yes, yes, I am well aware of the limits put on me when I agreed to join the roster. What's your point?"

"My point," Samus replied, sternly. "Is that I don't want to see you anywhere near my wife or my daughter. And if I find out you so much as sneezed in either of their general directions..." She cracked her knuckles. "There will be _hell_ to pay."

Ridley made a sound that could have been a chuckle, but sounded more like a snake getting choked. "You forget, Aran," He teased. "That the 'no-killing' policy applies to _everyone_ in this mansion, not just me."

Samus sighed. As loathe as she was to admit it, he was right. She wasn't allowed to put him in the ground while they both resided in the mansion. Crap. She'd have to think of something that scared him more than a death threat. She smirked as a thought crossed her mind.

"Fine," She snapped. "If I find out you went anywhere near my wife outside of the arena during a match, or my daughter, I will tell everyone your full name."

The space pirate scoffed. "Go ahead," He challenged. "I hardly care if you tell them anything like that." She huffed. He certainly wasn't going to make this easy. "You're going to have to try harder than-"

"Poyo?"

Samus spun around to look at Kirby, who had entered the room. She smiled at the little Star Warrior and bent down to say hi. "Hey, Kirby. Are you looking for Bayonetta?"

"Poyo." Kirby affirmed.

Samus patted him on the head. "Well, I think she's in the cafeteria with the others. Did you want me to..."

She was cut off by a bone-chilling shriek. She spun around on instinct, quickly aiming her pistol at where Ridley's head was, only to find that he was no longer there. Her eyes scanned the room, ready for a sneak attack, when Kirby waddled forward and looked up to the ceiling. "Poyo?" He squeaked.

Samus glanced down at him, and then followed his gaze up to the ceiling. To her surprise, Ridley was clinging to the ceiling for dear life, shaking like a leaf. Her eyes widened.

Ridley's head swung around to look at them, a look of pure shock on his menacing features. "What...is...that...thing?" He rasped.

"Hmm?" Samus inquired.

"That...thing!" Ridley repeated, pointing his bladed tail at Kirby, who tilted his head curiously.

Samus looked down at Kirby, then up at Ridley, then back to Kirby. The Star Warrior raised his arms, gesturing that he wanted her to pick him up. "Poyo." He chirped.

Samus happily obliged, scooping him up in her arms. Then she looked up at Ridley, smiling. "This little guy?" She asked. "This is Kirby." She held him up Lion King style, and he chirped happily, waving his stubby arms.

Ridley shrunk into the ceiling, and hissed like a disgruntled cat. "Get that thing away from me!" He shrieked.

The space traveling bounty hunter raised an eyebrow in confusion, before lowering her arms. Ridley seemed to relax slightly. Then, as a test of her budding theory, she raised Kirby up again. Ridley tensed, and held himself closer to the ceiling again. Samus repeated this a few more times. Her eyes widened as it dawned on her.

"You're afraid of Kirby?" She asked.

"I told you to get that thing away from me!" Ridley snapped. "That...that _thing_ is not natural. It's the face of pure evil!"

Samus pouted, holding Kirby closer. "But he's just a baby." She said, snuggling the little guy to her face. He "Poyoed" softly as he hugged her back. "He's the sweetest, most precious, most adorable little thing ever, aren't you, buddy?" She kissed him on the forehead, and he cooed happily.

Ridley snapped again, but didn't say anything.

She looked back up at her nemesis, as if just now realizing that he was cowering in fear of the cutest member of the Smash Brothers family. A devious smile crept onto her features, making her feel like the Grinch.

"You're afraid of Kirby." She repeated, though it was more of a statement this time.

Ridley seemed to catch on to her thoughts, and he slowly lowered himself down from the ceiling, although he still strove to stay as far from Kirby as possible. "You speak one word of this to anyone, and I will raze this (Honk)ing mansion to the ground!"

"Hmm..." Samus pondered, still holding Kirby out, as if asking Ridley to hold him.

"What are you thinking?" Ridley hissed.

"I have an idea." Samus grinned devilishly. This was just what she needed. "Let's make a deal. I won't tell anyone that you're afraid of Kirby, _if_ , and only if, you agree to stay as far away from my wife and daughter as possible. Deal?"

Ridley hesitated. Samus shrugged. "Or I could just tell Kirby here to give you a hug. He loves hugs, you know." She held him out at arms length. Kirby seemed to brighten up at the idea of a hug, and reached out to Ridley with a smile. Ridley, of course, pressed himself against the wall in fear.

"Fine, fine, we have a deal!" He shrieked. "Just get that blasted thing away from me!" Samus pulled Kirby to her chest, and Ridley promptly exited the room.

The bounty hunter smiled down at Kirby, who smiled back at her. "I don't understand what could be so scary about you, little guy." She tickled the pink hero, and he giggled in her arms. "Promise me that you won't tell the others." He nodded happily. People tended to underestimate the little warrior. He may be young, but he's not ignorant. He understood what had just transpired between Samus and her nemesis.

"Actually, Kirby," Samus said, as an idea crossed her mind. "I have a job for you." She whispered into where his ears would be. "I want you to run up to Ridley at dinner tonight and give him a big hug." She smiled as her voice returned to its normal volume. "Can you do that for me?"

"Poyo!" Kirby squealed happily.

"Good boy," Samus praised, setting him down. "Now go on. Find your momma." He waddled off to find Bayonetta.

Samus grinned. This was either going to go really well, or really badly. Either way, it would be worth it in the end.

As she left the room to go find Zelda, she was unaware that one of the Waddle Dees, who had been sweeping the hallway at the time, had overheard the entire exchange.

He chuckled to himself. "Oh, I can't wait to tell the King about this." Then he put his headphones back in and resumed his cleaning duties.

* * *

 **A/N: So, yeah. This has been added to The Ultimate Return. Hoped you guys liked it.**

 **I also wanted to clear some things up. The idea of Bayonetta adopting Kirby was kinda inspired by another Smash Bros. fic, titled "Dreams Unwind" by EeveeNicks (which, oddly enough, is another Zelda/Samus centric story).**

 **The Waddle Dee who eavesdropped on the conversation should be familiar to anyone who's read Leer Justice's "Kirby of the Stars: The After Story" fics (Don't worry, I made sure to ask her for permission to use said character before writing this. Thanks for letting me use him, by the way.)**

 **Also, for context, and for anyone who may not know, Ridley's full name is Jeffery H. Ridleyson. I kid you not.**

 **Until then, please Read, Review, Favorite, and Follow, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out, and may the Force be with you. Always.**


	4. But Fear Itself

**Disclaimer: See Summary.**

 **A/N: You know, I've notice that between the two stories I'm actively working on (the other being Two Souls, One Goal), this one is getting a lot more attention. I wonder why that is.**

 **Anyway, this time around, Link and Corrin go on their date, which leads to a surprise appearance, and Samus gets her revenge in a very satisfying way.**

 **Also, there will be some mild implications of suggestive material, but nothing explicit.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

"Link," Corrin whined. "I think I'm having second thoughts."

The Hylian champion glanced at his girlfriend, who had switched out her battle armor for a dark gray T-Shirt, sweatpants, and to her chagrin, a pair of flip-flops. She wiggled her feet in discomfort.

"Oh, lighten up, Corrie." Link said. "It's not _that_ bad."

"Easy for you to say, elf boy." Corrin pouted.

"Why do you even prefer walking around barefoot, anyway?" Link asked.

Corrin's brows furrowed. "Honestly," She said. "I'm not one hundred percent sure. I think it could be because of my dragon lineage, but that's just my guess. But still, it feels so...I don't know, unnatural, for me to wear shoes."

Link sighed. "Alright," He said. "Then just carry them with you, and remember to put them on before we go inside."

"I like that plan." Corrin said eagerly, kicking off her flip-flops. She picked them up as she walked towards the door.

"Hang on, Corrie." Link said. "I'm not ready yet."

"Okay," Corrin said, jumping over the back of the couch and plopping down on it. "Wake me up when you're ready to go."

"I won't be long," Link said. "I just need to grab my phone."

Corrin sighed. Link was a sweet guy, and she was grateful to be his girlfriend, but the fact that he still stumbled over simple things like remembering his phone or wearing matching socks concerned her.

"Some boys just don't know how to act around women, I suppose." Came a voice from nearby. Corrin jolted, nearly falling off the couch. Bayonetta was sitting in a chair nearby, calmly sipping from a teacup. "Are you two going anywhere special?"

"Oh, sorry, Miss Bayonetta." Corrin said, straightening herself out. "Uh, Link mentioned a new pizza place that he wanted to try out."

"Ah, I see." The Umbra witch nodded. "I can't recall going there, but I've heard good things about it." She stood up and walked over to Corrin, making the younger woman's eyes widen. The dragon princess had forgotten that even with the enchantments adjusting certain resident's heights, the Umbra Witch still towered over her by about a head.

"So," Bayonetta continued. "Do you two have any other plans for tonight? Perhaps there's a movie playing that you two want to see, or perhaps you two will just come home and-"

"Watch a movie here?" Corrin finished quickly, cutting the Witch's suggestive comment short. The taller woman raised a slender eyebrow.

"Hmm," Bayonetta thought. She bent down so that the two were looking into each other's eyes. "So, you two haven't...gone there yet?"

Corrin blushed. "Personally," she replied. "I'd like to wait until we get married before we consider...that. It just feels like it makes the moment more...I don't know, memorable."

"Well, to each their own, I suppose." Bayonetta said. "But still, I'm sure you two will have a fun time tonight."

"Thanks." Corrin said. "So, what's going on here tonight?"

"Oh, not much, I'm afraid." Bayonetta said. "I think you two will have more fun than us tonight."

"Yeah, I guess." Corrin muttered. The taller woman sat down next to her on the couch, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Is something the matter, dear?" Bayonetta asked.

"No," Corrin said. "I just, worry about Link sometimes."

Unbeknownst to the two women, Link heard Corrin's comment and paused. Unaware of his presence, Bayonetta turned the younger woman around to face her. "Darling," Bayonetta said. "You can tell me if you think he isn't satisfying your needs. I'm sure I could find someone better for you."

"No, no." Corrin said quickly. "It's not like that."

"Then what is it, dear?" Bayonetta asked.

"It's just," Corrin sighed. "The way Master Hand presented the tournament opening, this may be the last official tournament."

"It would certainly seem that way," The Umbra witch said.

"Well, I love Link." Corrin continued. "And when the tournament is over, well..."

"Ah," Bayonetta reasoned. "You're afraid that once the tournament is over, you won't be able to see him again. Is that it?"

"Yeah," Corrin admitted, her voice shaking. "Back home, I'm being forced to choose between several different paths. It literally feels like I'm being pulled in different directions. But here, with all of my friends, the biggest decisions I make are usually what to eat, and what to wear, and that's about it. When I'm with Link, I just feel like I don't have any responsibilities hanging over my head. With Link, I feel..."

"Free." Bayonetta finished for her. Corrin nodded. From where he stood, Link absorbed that information. "Well, I can understand your concerns about the tournament ending."

"Really?" Corrin asked.

"Absolutely." The Umbra Witch replied. "Kirby is practically my son. It would break my poor heart if I could never see him again."

Corrin took a moment to soak that in. "Maybe we can talk with Master Hand about that at some point. He did say that the tournament existed as a means of uniting legends like us in friendship."

"I'd say the results were better than even he expected." Bayonetta joked. Corrin chuckled. "But you're right, dear. We need to discuss this with Master hand at some point. But for now, you and Link have a date to get on with."

"Yeah," Corrin sighed. She jolted slightly when Bayonetta pulled her into a hug.

"Contrary to popular belief," The Umbra witch said. "I care about a great many of the residents here, not just Kirby." She chuckled. "But my son still holds a special place in my heart. If you ever feel like you need someone to talk to when Link isn't around, you can always come speak with me. We are like family here, after all."

Corrin smiled and returned the hug. "Yeah." She agreed. "One big, dysfunctional family."

Link smiled. It was always nice to know that almost everyone in the mansion looked out for each other. Even Ganondorf, despite his disapproval with being brought back to life on someone else's terms, was happy to be back in the mansion.

"Link, dear," Bayonetta said, breaking the Hylian warrior out of his musings. "Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop?"

Link stepped forward, blushing slightly. "Sorry," He mumbled.

"Don't be," Corrin said, as she and Bayonetta pulled apart. "I'm guessing you heard all of that."

"Yeah," Link said. "I didn't want to interrupt. I never knew you had it so bad back home."

Corrin hummed. "I didn't think to tell you," She admitted. "But that's why I took up the invitation for the Tournament. It gave me a chance to be me, instead of what other people want from me. And if that means falling in love with an elf, so be it."

Link smiled. "And I couldn't ask for a better woman to be my girlfriend." He said.

"Not even Zelda?" Bayonetta asked mischievously.

Link's eyes widened as he turned to face the witch. "Maybe in a past life," He replied. "But certainly not in this one. Samus would kill me. Don't you remember what happened after she found out Zelda was pregnant?"

"Hmm," Bayonetta pondered. "Perhaps you could refresh my memory."

"Well," Link began. "First, it looked like her brain had flat lined. Then she turned to me like she was ready to ram my sword through my throat. It took both Donkey Kong and Bowser to hold her back, remember?"

Corrin nodded. "Yeah," She said. "I think that was the angriest we'd ever seen her. At least, well, until earlier today of course."

"Ah, now I remember," Bayonetta said, even though she'd already known. "She'd thought that you had...ah, of course." She smirked. "I remember the panic in your eyes when you found out about Zelda."

"Yeah," Link replied. "So much for being the wielder of Courage, huh?"

"Don't worry about it, Linky." Corrin said. "A lot of people think Samus is scary when she's angry."

Bayonetta hummed quietly. "Don't you two have somewhere to go?" She asked.

Link's eyes widened. "Oh yeah," He said. "We gotta go, Corrin."

"Right behind you." Corrin replied, as they made their way to the door.

"Have fun, you two." Bayonetta said.

"Don't worry," Link replied. "We will."

* * *

Samus found Zelda sitting in the backyard, under a tree. Rinka was off playing some sort of game with the other kids. It looked like soccer, but Samus couldn't tell from the distance. She turned her attention to her wife.

"Hey, babe." Samus greeted.

Zelda looked up. "Oh, hi Samus." She said, as she moved over to let Samus sit down. The huntress sat against the tree, and Zelda sat down in her wife's lap. Samus wrapped her arms around Zelda protectively and sighed.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you." She murmured, rubbing Zelda's arm.

"I could say the same," Zelda replied. She leaned back into Samus' embrace. "Did you get all your anger out of your system, darling?"

"Most of it," Samus admitted. "I'm still steamed that Ridley's here. But I'm confident that I can get back at him later."

"Don't go overboard, my love." Zelda warned. "Violence only begets more violence."

"She says even though she, her wife, and all of her friends beat each other up on a regular basis." Samus quipped.

Zelda chuckled. "You know what I mean, Sammy." She said.

"Yeah, I got it, Zel." Samus replied, kissing the side of Zelda's face. "So, what are your plans for tonight?"

"I don't have any," Zelda replied.

The Bounty Huntress smiled. "Good." She said. "Because I do."

"Oh, really?" Zelda asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Samus replied. "Do you want to be a part of it?"

"Mmm," Zelda hummed. "That sounds nice."

"Good." Samus said. "Because your attendance is mandatory." She smiled as she buried her face in her wife's hair. "I love you so much, babe."

Zelda sighed. "I love you too, Samus."

Their moment of intimacy was interrupted when a familiar pink ball crashed into the tree with a loud shout. The sounds of branches breaking drew their attention upwards, just as Kirby fell out of the tree and landed next to them.

"Poyo..." He grumbled as he came back to his senses.

"Oh, Kirby." Zelda said. "Are you alright?"

"Poyo..." Kirby mumbled as he rubbed his head.

"Kirby!" Rinka shouted, running over to them. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that, oh goddesses, are you okay?" She reached down and hugged him.

Kirby shook himself down and nodded. "Poyo." He said, as he wrapped his stubby arms around her.

"Oh, thank goodness." Rinka replied.

"What happened, sweetie?" Zelda asked.

"We were playing soccer and Kirby and I both ran for the ball." Rinka explained. "I accidentally kicked him instead."

"Poyo." Kirby cooed, patting her arm with his own. "It's...ok." He got it across that it had happened a lot to him back in Dreamland, when he was playing ball with the other kids.

"Are you having fun, princess?" Samus asked, directing the question to her daughter.

"Absolutely." Rinka replied. "I love it here! Everyone's so cool."

"My thoughts exactly," Samus replied. "Well, I'm glad you're having fun, baby."

Rinka frowned. She turned to Megan. "Hey, could you you guys give me a bit? I wanna talk with my moms for a second."

"Sure thing," Megan said, kicking the ball up into her arms. "C'mon, guys."

As the other kids ran off to go play some more, Rinka turned her attention to her moms. "Are you okay, mama?" She asked, facing Samus.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" Samus asked.

"You got really angry earlier," Rinka explained, sitting next to them. "I wanna know what happened."

The two women looked at each other, and then Samus turned back to their daughter. "That creature, Ridley, is a monster." She said sternly. "In every sense of the word."

"What happened?" Rinka asked.

"He ate both of my parents in front of me when I was a kid." Samus replied. Rinka's eyes widened. "Yeah, that messed up my childhood a lot. But when I saw him on that stage, I just lost it. I don't want to have to watch my family die in front of me again, especially because of that monster."

Rinka leaned over and hugged Samus, who wrapped an arm around her. "I'm so sorry to hear that, mama." She whimpered.

"It's fine, sweetie." Samus reassured, brushing her hand through Rinka's chestnut brown hair. "It's in the past. Besides, I know I'll be able to keep you and your Mommy safe."

"You and nearly everyone else here." Zelda chimed in.

Rinka sighed. "It's so nice out today." She said wistfully. Her eyelids fluttered shut.

Samus petted her daughter's hair as she wrapped her other arm around Zelda. "Yeah," She said. "A nap with my wife and daughter sounds like a good idea." Zelda just smiled as she adjusted herself around, so that she could more effectively snuggle up to Samus.

The huntress sighed as she closed her eyes. Sure, she still had Ridley to deal with, and that made her blood boil, but this, having her family in her arms again, put a smile on her face. And she wouldn't give it up for anyone or anything.

* * *

"So, this is the place." Link said, as they arrived at the pizza place. It had taken them about half an hour to walk there from the mansion.

"Looks nice." Corrin said, slipping her shoes on. "I hope the food's good."

"Me too," Link said, holding the door open for his girlfriend. "After you, milady."

"Thank you, good sir." Corrin said with a small curtsey.

The first thing the two noticed when they entered the building was that the hostess had snow white skin. She had her navy blue hair bunched up in a bun. She also seemed to have navy blue blush marks on her face. She glanced up at them and smiled as she readjusted her glasses.

"Ah, welcome." She said. "I assume you two have a reservation." The couple exchanged a look, and the hostess smiled. "I'm joking. We don't do reservations here."

Corrin looked around, and noticed that there weren't many people in the restaurant. "Business must not be very good." She observed.

The hostess, whom Link noticed was wearing ballet flats despite wearing knee socks and a fancy skirt, simply chuckled. "Oh, don't worry." She said. "We're gearing down for the dinner rush. Trust me, you two are lucky to be here right now. If you give us about half an hour, the place will be packed."

"Okay, then." Link said. "Table for two, please."

"Of course, sir." The hostess said, picking up two menus and walking down the rows of booths. "Right this way, please."

She ushered them to a booth, setting their places. "Can I start you two off with some drinks?"

"Uh, cherry soda, please." Corrin said.

"I'll just have water." Link said.

"Coming right up." The hostess replied, as she wrote down their orders and walked off.

"So," Link said, turning to Corrin. "What have you been up to since I've last seen you?"

"Not much." Corrin replied. "You?"

"Well," Link sighed. "I got knocked out for a hundred years and woke up with nearly no memories of...well anything."

"Not even me?" Corrin asked, making a puppy face.

"Not even you," Link admitted. "But don't worry. All my memories are back now." He paused. "What's your name again?"

"Shut up." Corrin giggled. Then the waitress came around.

The pair was caught off guard by her appearance. Much like the hostess, her skin was bone white, but her color palette was red, as opposed to the hostess. She also had ruby red hair, bunched up in twin pigtails. Her sharp green eyes looked back at theirs with all the charm of a performer.

"What'll it be, guys?" She asked as she set down their drinks. "We have more than just pizza."

"I don't know," Link said, as he glanced through the menu. "What would you suggest, miss...?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" The waitress said. "My name is Bianca."

"Wait a minute." Corrin said, recognizing the name from the restaurant's name outside. "Isn't this your restaurant?"

"I know," Bianca replied. "I get that a lot. My sister told me that how unusual it is for the owner to double as a waitress, but we're kinda understaffed at the moment. Two of the usuals got sick and can't come in, so I gotta be the bigger woman and cover for them."

"That's nice," Link said. "I'm guessing your sister is the hostess. Is that right?"

"Oh, yeah." Bianca replied. "Her name's Ballora, by the way." Then she remembered why she was there. "Oh, right. What do I suggest? Uh, my ziti is well received. I'd definitely recommend that."

"You're the manager, waitress, and head chef?!" Corrin asked, wide eyed.

Bianca giggled. "Well, no. Not all at once." She said. "But yeah, a lot of the items on the menu use my personal recipe."

"Hmm." Link said, thinking it over. "What do you say, Corrin?"

"I'm thinking of trying that ziti." Corrin replied.

"Alright," Link said. "We'll take a shared order of ziti."

"Excellent choice." Bianca replied happily, as she wrote down their orders. "It'll be out shortly."

"Thank you," Link said.

As Bianca left, Corrin tapped Link's arm. "Hey, Link?" She asked.

"What's up, Corrie?" Link replied.

"Did something seem...I don't know, off, about those two?" She wondered.

"Off as in 'They're serial killers who are secretly plotting to poison us and stuff our bodies in the freezer'," Link asked. "Or off as in something else?"

"They don't look...natural." Corrin explained. "They almost remind me of...Metal."

"Metal?" Link asked. "You mean Sonic's brother?"

Unbeknownst to them, the woman they were talking about froze for a second.

"Yeah," Corrin replied. "You don't think..."

"They know each other?" Link finished. "Most likely."

"Should we ask?" Corrin wondered.

"I mean, it wouldn't hurt, right?" Link said.

A few minutes later, Bianca came back around with their food. "Alright, here you go. Enjoy."

"Thanks, ma'am." Corrin replied.

Bianca raised an eyebrow. "I have a name," She said jokingly. "Please use it."

"Sorry, Bianca." Corrin apologized.

"It's okay." Bianca replied. "I get it a lot."

As Link dug into their pasta, he turned back to Bianca and cleared his throat. "Hey, I know this sounds like a weird question," He began. "But my girlfriend and I were wondering, are you and your sister...robots?"

Bianca's face remained unchanged, but she sighed. "Sort of." She said.

"Sort of?" Corrin repeated.

"Well, the more accurate term would be synthezoid." Bianca clarified. "Essentially, I'm nearly an organic being, except I have metal skin. It's...kinda hard to explain."

"Okay," Link said, nodding. "It makes sense."

"By the way," Bianca continued. "I couldn't help but hear you mention someone named Metal."

"Do you know him?" Corrin asked.

"Well," Bianca responded. "As his girlfriend, I'd hope I knew him. So, how do you guys know him?"

"We're part of the Smash Bros Tournament." Link explained.

"Okay," Bianca said. "I figured that. I also know that Sonic the Hedgehog takes part in the tournament. He's one of my closest friends. So I'm guessing he's talked about his brother a lot."

"Actually," Corrin cut in. "Metal's been invited to the tournament."

The clown girl's eyes widened. "Could you...please describe him to me?"

"About your height." Link began. "Navy blue hair, green eyes, sort of metallic skin."

"Yeah," Bianca said, as if her mind was wandering. "Yeah...That's him."

"Uhh," Corrin asked. "Are you...okay?"

Bianca didn't answer right away. Then, "Could...Could you tell him something for me?"

"Sure," Link said, taking another bite. "What is it?"

"Tell him..."Bianca said sternly. "Tell him that he needs to come talk to me."

* * *

Dinner in the Mansion that night was a mishmash of things. Samus had picked out the meatloaf with mashed potatoes, where as Zelda had taken some sort of traditional Hylian dish.

"You certainly seem to be in a better mood, Samus." Bayonetta said. "Do you think you can get through this meal without blowing something up?"

"Yeah." Samus replied. "I think I'll be fine."

"That's wonderful, dear." Bayonetta grinned, sipping her tea. "It's better for your health, anyway."

"You're starting to sound like Wanda," Zelda joked.

"I'm free to worry about the well-being of my family if I feel the need to." Bayonetta replied. "You two are very much like sisters to me."

"Aww, that's sweet." Samus smiled, wrapping an arm around the Umbra Witch's shoulder. "We love you too, Bayonetta."

"Almost as much as we love each other, of course." Zelda chimed in.

"Naturally," Bayonetta replied, placing a sisterly kiss on Samus' cheek. "By the way, where's your little angel?"

Zelda pointed over to one of the other tables, where Rinka was sitting with the Inklings, Ice Climbers, and Bowser Jr.

"She's already making friends." Bayonetta observed.

"Yeah," Zelda said. "I raised her to be kind and polite."

"Of course," The Umbra Witch agreed. "Highly valued traits in a future queen. Which reminds me, Corrin and I were speaking earlier about what will happen once the tournament ends."

"But the tournament hasn't even started yet." Samus argued.

"True," Bayonetta replied. "But she mentioned that this may be the last official tournament. Which could mean that we may never see each other after this."

The two other women's eyes widened. "I will never forgive those two hands if I can't see my wife again. Or my daughter." She wrapped her arms around Zelda protectively.

"Corrin and I agreed that we'd take it up with them soon." Bayonetta explained.

"Hopefully we can negotiate something with them." Zelda said.

At that moment, Samus noticed Ridley walking over from the buffet area back to the villains' table, where Bowser, Wolf, Wario, and Ganondorf were sitting. He had a whole roast turkey in his claws, and he was munching away at it with little regard for table manners. A wide grin lit the huntress' face.

"What are you planning, love?" Zelda asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Samus denied.

"A likely story," Bayonetta replied. "I know that look. You're planning something mischievous."

"Is it really that obvious?" Samus asked innocently.

"Yes." Zelda and Bayonetta replied simultaneously.

"You wanna know that badly?" Samus asked, before turning to Kirby. "You know what to do, buddy."

Kirby smiled, before hopping off the table. Samus turned to her wife and her surrogate sister. "Watch and learn." She said.

Kirby bounded over to Ridley and latched himself to the space pirate's leg. "Poyo!" He chirped. Ridley froze, and his eyes widened when he looked down and saw Kirby. The baby star warrior looked back up at him with a wide smile. "Hiii!"

"AHHHHH!" Ridley shrieked. "GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!" He shook his leg, desperately trying to pry the little guy off. Then he remembered where he was. He looked around, as if only just realizing that he just made a fool ofhimself in front of everyone in the mansion.

Nobody moved as they took in the sight of the most violent being in the mansion cowering in fear of arguably the cutest resident of the mansion. Ridley's eyes narrowed. "I do not want to hear a sound out of any of you." He seethed. "One word of this, and I will burn you all, and this mansion, to the f(honk)ing ground!"

Even as he said this, he could see that many of the residents were fighting their hardest not to laugh. A tear leaked from Knuckles' eye, Toon Link's face started turning red, and Metal's hands dug into the wooden table, all in an effort not to crack. Then he and Sonic made the mistake of looking at each other.

And the gates burst.

Metal was the first to break, gasping out a long wheeze, followed by King Dedede, who spat out his soda. And everyone else, excluding the Meta Knight clone (and Bowser, for some reason) burst out laughing.

The penguin King of dreamland started heaving with laughter, and fell out of his seat. He started rolling on the floor, clutching his sides as he kept on laughing. Donkey Kong slammed his fist on his table, while Diddy buried his face in the table. Wario, who had been eating a grilled cheese and onion sandwich, started choking and gagging on said sandwich.

"I can't breathe!" Metal wheezed, even though he technically didn't need to breathe.

"I can't see!" Dedede replied, tears leaking from his eyes as he continued to squirm on the floor.

Samus clutched at her sides, but as she had already known of Ridley's fear, she wasn't laughing quite as hard. Bayonetta, who'd been in the middle of sipping her tea when Kirby "attacked" Ridley, spat her tea out in a very unladylike manner. "Oh dear," Bayonetta managed, setting her cup down as she started laughing.

At his table, Mewtwo, who also wasn't completely hysterical, smirked. "Kirby's..." He began, fighting back snickers. "Kirby's a fairy type, confirmed." The residents near him started laughing even harder.

This continued on for several minutes, with Ridley still standing in the same place. Kirby was still latched on to the space pirate's leg, smiling. Then, Corrin and Link entered the room.

"What in the hell did we walk into?" Link asked, perplexed. Cloud and Shulk just kept on laughing.

"I can't..." Jake choked out. "I can't breathe. Help me."

"I think...I think I'm gonna pass out." Megan wheezed.

"It wasn't that funny." Wolf said, even though he was also chuckling. "Please don't pass out."

"Hang on," Link asked. "What happened?"

"Yeah," Corrin added. "What did we miss?"

Shulk, still shaking with laughter, turned towards the couple. "Mate," He sputtered. "Have a...have a lookit that." He pointed at Ridley, who was simply standing their with an unimpressed look on his face. Kirby was still latched firmly to his leg.

Link smirked as he put two and two together. "Oh, goddesses." He said. From Sonic's table, Metal uttered a sound that could only be described as a goose getting choked, which made those around him laugh even harder.

Corrin started chuckling. "Wait, wait, wait." She said. "Are you telling me that Ridley, the most vicious, relentless, heartless monster this tournament has ever known, is afraid of Kirby? Are you freaking serious?" She burst out laughing.

Metal's infamous wheeze echoed through the room again, and the other residents kept on laughing harder. Finally, Ridley decided he was fed up with this crap, and forced himself to grab Kirby and throw him as far as the murderous beast could, before storming towards Samus.

"The deal is off, Aran!" He roared. "Enjoy the time you have with your family while it lasts, because the second I get the chance, I will kill both of them while you watch!"

"Ah, ah, Ridleyson." Samus replied, wagging a finger at him. "I technically never told anyone. They kinda figured it out on their own. Which means, the deal can't be broken."

"That means nothing." Ridley snarled. Then he slashed his tail across her table, and stormed off, huffing under his breath.

Metal glanced over at Dedede, who was still shaking on the floor, gasping for breath. "Oh, geez!" The synthetic human gasped, rushing over to the fallen king. "He's dying! CPR, CPR, does anyone here know CPR?"

"I'm fine," Dedede managed, pulling himself to his feet. "Hoo-wee, that was the best thing I've seen in forever."

"I'm crying, holy cow." Knuckles gasped, wiping a tear from his face.

"Dude, my jaw hurts from laughing so hard." Sonic added, clutching his stomach.

"Mate, we're all gonna have six packs tomorrow morning." Shulk sputtered.

Bayonetta, who'd managed to catch Kirby out of the air, snuggled her adopted son closer to her. "Oh, my little star baby." She chuckled, kissing the top of his head. The pink puff seemed distraught that Ridley didn't want to be his friend. "I guess some hearts just can't be melted."

"Oh, his heart is a rotten husk." Samus added, half-seriously. She wiped some tears away.

"So," Zelda said, as she regained most of her composure. "You already knew?"

"Yeah," Samus admitted, grinning. "After I spoke with the hands, I gave Ridley a warning about staying away from you and Rinka. Then Kirby showed up, and Ridley launched himself up to the ceiling. So we made a deal. I wouldn't leak his secret to everyone, and he would stay away from you two. But I really couldn't let this opportunity pass me by."

"You're evil." Zelda said.

"Yeah, you still love me, babe." Samus replied.

"Always, honey." Zelda added.

"Well," Bayonetta said, clapping slowly. "I hope you are proud of yourself, love."

"Every day of my life." Samus replied confidently, before turning to Zelda. "Shall we, my love?"

Zelda chuckled. "We shall." She replied. Samus scooped her up in her arms, bridal style.

"Leaving already, dears?" Bayonetta asked, smiling.

"I haven't seen her in ages." Samus said. "She hasn't seen me in ages. You do the math, Bayo."

"I got it." The Umbra Witch replied happily. "Would you like me to tuck Rinka in for you two?"

Zelda nodded. "That would be nice, Bayonetta."

"Cereza." Bayonetta corrected.

Samus turned around, careful not to accidentally smack Zelda's head against one of the tables. "What's that?"

"You two are like sisters to me." The Umbra Witch explained. "Cereza is my real name."

"Okay, then." Samus said. "See you tomorrow, Cereza."

As they walked off. Kirby looked up to his momma in confusion. "Poyo?" He wondered.

Bayonetta simply smiled. "I'll tell you when you're older, dear."

 **A/N: So there you have it. I'm sure it's obvious that Wanda refers to the Wii Fit Trainer. I was originally going to add a scene where Bowser explains why he wasn't laughing along with everyone else. Also, I will get around to explaining why I keep saying "Meta Knight Clone," but that will wait a few chapters.**

 **So, next chapter, Metal learns about his girlfriend's whereabouts, Bowser talks with the other villains, and Rinka bonds with the Inklings.**

 **Until then, please read, review, favorite, and follow, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out, and may the Force be with you. Always.**


	5. Day Two

**Disclaimer: See Summary.**

 **A/N: Hi. Welcome back. So, I think after this chapter, I'm going to step away from this website for a bit to reorganize myself, because this story and Two Souls, One Goal were meant to be pet projects while I think about the plot for Mercytale. But anything could happen between now and then.**

 **I gotta say, it impresses me that this story has only been up since December 28, and it already has the fifth highest number of views. I think that shows how popular it is.**

 **Anyway, someone in the last chapter left a review asking how Zelda became pregnant with Rinka. Hopefully, I can provide a decent explanation in this chapter.**

 **Warning: implicit mentions of suggestive content, possibly some mild language and humor.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Samus was the first to wake up, holding Zelda close in her arms. She smiled as she kissed the back of her wife's shoulder, earning a soft sigh from the Hylian queen.

"Good morning, sunshine." Zelda whispered, turning over to face Samus with a smile.

"Morning, babe." Samus replied. She planted a kiss on Zelda's nose.

"Mmm..." Zelda moaned softly. "What time is it?"

Samus turned over under the sheets and reached for the clock on her nightstand. Squinting at it, she replied, "Nine-thirty."

Zelda sighed. "Really?" She asked. Samus muttered an affirmative hum. "Unbelievable." She made a move to crawl out of bed, but a pair of strong arms pulled her back in with a squeak.

"Don't go." Samus muttered. "Not yet."

Zelda chuckled. "You really weren't joking when you said you missed me, were you?" She asked.

Samus grinned. "What gave it away?" She asked cheekily.

"Your...performance last night." Zelda replied, matching her wife's sass. "You looked like you might never get the chance to sleep with me again."

"You're one to talk, babe." Samus countered. "It's a good thing our rooms are soundproof; I bet half the mansion would have heard you screaming my name."

Zelda rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She replied. "I'm getting up, and you can't stop me."

"Nooo." Samus whimpered, nibbling the back of Zelda's neck. The unexpected show of affection sent a chill down Zelda's spine.

Zelda bit back a soft moan as she struggled in her wife's loving embrace. "Honey, please." She whimpered.

"Fine." Samus relented. Zelda, now free, pulled back the sheets and made her way to the dresser.

"Are you going to get up?" Zelda asked, as she fished around for a set of clothes to wear. "Or are you just going to lie in bed all day?"

"Depends." Samus replied. "Are you going to join me?" Her cheek was met with a set of underwear thrown in her general direction.

"If you're going to stay there all day," Zelda continued. "You should at least put some underwear on."

"Alright, alright, I'm getting up." Samus said, putting on the clothes so casually thrown her way. Then she noticed the shirt her wife was putting on. "I see you kept the T-shirt I got you."

Zelda looked down at the shirt and blushed. "I wouldn't dream of getting rid of it." She replied.

"I can't imagine you could just waltz around Hyrule wearing a shirt that said "Number One Waifu" on it, could you?" Samus asked with a smirk, walking around the bed towards her wife. "I wonder what your loyal subjects would think."

Zelda rolled her eyes. "Many in the royal court are aware of my more...modern possessions." She replied. "But no, I chose not to be seen in public with it on."

"Aww." Samus said, leaning against the dresser. "But you thought of me when you saw it, right?"

"Every day." Zelda replied. "I would stay up some nights, wondering when I would get to see you again."

Samus smiled as she cupped Zelda's face in her hands. "Why do you have to be so freaking cute?" She asked, staring Zelda in the eyes.

The Hylian queen smirked, despite her face being smushed. "Hey," She shrugged. "Our baby girl had to get her cuteness from one of us."

Samus' eyes widened. "So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" She pulled Zelda in and their lips crashed together.

"Mmph!" Zelda squeaked as the huntress deepened the kiss. Zelda felt tempted to drag her wife back to the bed and get it out of both their systems, but at the last moment, Samus pulled away.

"You drive me crazy sometimes, Zel Bell." Samus said, pressing her forehead to Zelda's own.

"But you still love me." Zelda replied.

"Always." Samus answered.

There was a knock on their door. "Yo, girls!" The cheery voice of Princess Daisy called out. "You guys up yet? C'mon, we're all gonna get breakfast together! You two totally gotta introduce me to Rinka! Okay, bye!"

Samus chuckled. "Ready to go, love?"

Zelda sighed. "Ready as I'll ever be, hon."

* * *

"Okay," Metal said, as he sat down next to his brothers in the cafeteria. "Hopefully we won't nearly die of laughter this time."

Sonic smirked. "I think that's the happiest I've seen you in months."

Metal offered a hopeful smile. "Yeah." He said. "I could use a good laugh after all the crap I've been through."

"What was that about?" Fox asked, blowing on the piece of fried egg on his fork before taking a bite.

The mobians and the synthetic human frowned. "It's something I don't like to talk about." Metal said sternly.

"Okay." Fox shrugged. "I won't pressure you into talking about it if you don't want."

"What I want to know is what the heck that sound was." Falco added.

"What sound?" Metal asked.

"Whatever unearthly sound came out of your mouth last night after Ridley freaked out at Kirby." Falco explained.

"Oh, that?" Metal chuckled. "Yeah, that's what happens when I start laughing too hard. My lungs are synthetic, so I don't need to breathe. But when I put my lungs through that kind of stress, then yeah, I start wheezing."

"You sounded like a goose getting choked." Falco added, smirking.

"So I've been told." Metal replied with a shrug. Then his brows furrowed. "Hey, Falco. It doesn't bother you that your teammate is...you know, does it?" He gestured to Fox's plate.

The avian pilot glanced at the eggs on Fox's plate. "What, the eggs?" He asked. Then he shook his head. "Nah, it's no big deal. I've eaten turkey before."

"Oh yeah," Knuckles smirked. "I can't wait for you to see the size of the turkeys we get for Thanksgiving around here."

The synthezoid tilted his head. "I thought you guys just got a bunch of small turkeys."

"We do." Sonic replied. "Five or six thirty pound birds."

Metal nearly gagged on his orange juice. "Thirty pound turkeys?!" He gaped. "Dear stars above, what kinda steroids are they pumping into the birds here?"

"No steroids." Tails explained. "Just a simple device I came up with that makes the turkeys bigger."

"Of course." Metal replied. "Whenever someone needs something built, we just go to Tails for help. That's how I got this handsome new bod." He flexed his muscles for emphasis.

"So," Fox asked, taking another bite of eggs. "Why'd you decide you wanted to be more human?"

"The same reason most guys do something stupid." Metal said. "For a cute girl."

"Oh really?" Fox asked, raising an eyebrow. "She must have been one heck of a catch."

"She was." Metal said, a distant look in his eyes. " She and I, we clicked. And I messed it up, big time."

Link and Corrin, who had been getting their respective breakfasts, froze as they heard Metal talking.

"What was her name, exactly?" Link asked. "Also, mind if we sit here?"

"Help yourselves," Metal said, scooting over to give the elf boy and the dragon princess room to sit down. "And her name was Bianca. Why?"

The two looked at each other. "Did she happen to have red hair, bunched up in pigtails?" Link asked.

"Yeah," Metal said. "Ruby red."

"Did she have green eyes?" Corrin added.

"The cutest green eyes in the world." Metal replied, before turning to Sonic. "Tell Amy that she has the second cutest pair of green eyes in the world."

"Did she dress like a literal circus clown?" Link asked.

"Yeah." Metal said. Then his brow furrowed. "How do you guys know all this?"

"She runs the Pizza place we went to last night." Corrin replied.

Metal froze, and his empty juice cup hit the ground with a clatter. "What?" He said, his voice stiff.

"Bro?" Sonic asked. "You okay?"

"So, let me just make sure I'm not going crazy here." Metal said slowly. "You're telling me, that my girlfriend is here, in this dimension, or universe, or whatever you want to call it, and that she runs her own pizza place?"

Link and Corrin looked at each other. "Uh, yeah." Link said, nodding.

Metal didn't say anything at first, and then he went back to his breakfast.

"Dude, you're scaring me." Sonic said, shaking his brother's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Hmm?" Metal asked calmly. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

"What are you thinking, right now?" Tails asked.

"Well," Metal replied, taking a bite of his pancakes. "I'm going to finish breakfast, then I'm going to ask you three to come back to our bedroom, so that you can take turns slapping me across the face."

"Uh, why would we do that?" Knuckles asked, worriedly.

"So I can build the courage to go talk with her." Metal said calmly. "Because for lunch, I'm going to try out that pizza place my girlfriend supposedly owns, so I can go clear things up with her. And to try out the pizza I've heard so much about."

"Do you...need us to go with you?" Sonic asked. "You know, for moral support?"

Metal nodded slowly. "Yeah." He said. "Yeah, that would be great."

* * *

Rinka sat down next to some of the other kids, taking a gulp from her chocolate milk. "So, how'd your talk with your moms go yesterday?" Megan asked.

"It was good." Rinka replied. "Hey, do you guys mind if I ask a few questions?"

"Go ahead." Jake said.

"First, what's your relationship with each other?" Rinka asked.

"Brother and sister." Megan answered happily. "Next question."

"Are you guys kids, or squids? And how does that work?"

"Squids." Jake replied. "And when we turn fourteen, we can stay in humanoid form for long periods of time."

"Does it ever get tiring, looking like that?" Rinka asked.

"Not really." Megan explained. "Although, like you probably saw last night, we sometimes like to sleep in squid form."

"That's so cool." Rinka said, smiling.

"Anything else you wanted to know about us?"

Bowser Jr. raised his arm. "I have a question." He said. The Inklings turned to face the young prince. "You two were in the last grand prix Mario hosted. I remember you guys weren't bothered by the tracks with underwater sections. I thought Inklings and Octolings couldn't survive underwater."

Megan shook her head. "That's just a misconception about our species." She explained. "We do just fine in water. Heck, the ink we use for our attacks is like ninety percent water. It'd be kinda counterintuitive to make it that way if we couldn't survive coming in contact with water."

Bowser Jr. nodded, understanding their logic.

"I have a question for you, Rinka." Jake chimed in.

"Yeah?" Rinka asked.

"If your moms are lesbians, which is perfectly okay by the way, how were you born?" Jake asked.

Rinka shrugged. "According to my mommy, it was magic." She said. "Literally, Hylian goddess magic. At least, that's the theory my mommy Zelda has. Also, I was born during the last tournament."

Megan and Jake looked at each other. "I guess that makes sense." Megan said, nodding.

"As much sense as anything could make in this mansion." Jake replied.

"So that makes you a princess, right?" Bowser Jr. asked.

"Yeah." Rinka said proudly. "But please, just treat me like you would treat any other kid. I'm only a princess in Hyrule."

"How old are you again?" Megan asked.

"Ten, technically." Rinka replied. "I'm sure you heard about my Uncle Link's latest adventure, and how he and I were asleep for a hundred years."

"More Hylian magic?" Jake asked.

"Yup." Rinka said. "What about you guys? How old are you?"

"Fifteen." They said simultaneously.

"That's cool." Rinka replied.

"You know, before this," Jake said. "I don't think we've ever met a princess before."

"That's not true, bro." Megan said. "Do Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, and Princess Rosalina not count?"

"Oh, yeah." Jake said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I forgot about that."

"Well, that's okay." Rinka said. "You two are the first Inklings I've ever met, and you guys are awesome."

"Aww, thanks." Megan said, blushing.

"We are pretty awesome, aren't we?" Jake added, earning a chuckle from his sister.

"So," Rinka said, finishing her breakfast. "What do you guys wanna do?"

"I don't know." Megan said, shrugging. "Maybe play some more soccer."

"That sounds fun." Rinka said. "Same teams?"

"You're on!" Megan replied.

* * *

"You know," Sonic said. "You're taking this a lot better than I thought."

"Oh really?" Metal replied. "How so?" They had gone back to their room to discuss the situation, where they chose not to start punching Metal in the face.

"I don't know," Sonic shrugged. "I assumed you'd start talking about how you wanted to stay as far away from Bianca as possible. You know, since you feel like you don't deserve to be with her anymore."

"Well," Metal argued. "Maybe it's time I be the bigger man and own up to what I've done. Besides, I haven't seen her in over six months, so yeah, I'd like to talk to her again."

"You sure you don't need us to punch you in the face, dude?" Knuckles asked, punching his fists together.

"Nah, man." Metal said dismissively. "Maybe when we get there, but I gotta be a man. This is something I need to do myself."

"And we'll have your back every step of the way." Tails said.

"Thanks guys." Metal said with a smile. Then he chuckled. "You know, something just occurred to me."

"What's that?" Sonic asked.

"All my life, I'd been trying to prove that I was better than you." Metal replied. "And this whole time, I didn't realize I already had you beat."

"Oh yeah?" Sonic retorted. "Why's that?"

Metal smirked. "I actually had a girlfriend."

Tails and Knuckles laughed. "Hey," Sonic said. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, you still haven't officially declared that you're going steady with Amy." Metal argued. "So I technically was the first of us to have a girlfriend. Why is that, anyway? Why haven't you made the move yet?"

Sonic stammered. "Well, I...uh, you know...I..."

"It can't be because you have your eyes on someone else." Metal cut him off.

"Why not?" Sonic asked.

"Well, let's see." Metal said, counting off on his fingers. "Rouge and Alexa are lesbians, Cream and Marine are too young, and Marine would probably club you over the head with her 'Cootie Stick', uhh...Blaze is a princess from another dimension, Wave doesn't really like you, Sticks is...well, Sticks, and I don't even wanna know what Shadow would do to you if he caught you flirting with Maria. Need I go on?"

"Okay, you've made your point." Sonic replied. "Maybe after the Tournament's over, I'll try asking her out."

"Atta boy, Sonic." Metal said, clapping a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "But for right now, we need to focus on what I'm going to say to Bianca."

"I think it would be better if you just made it up as you went along." Tails suggested.

"You know what," Metal said. "Yeah, that sounds like a much better idea."

"So, are we going to go see her, or what?" Knuckles asked.

"Let's do this." Metal said.

* * *

"Nice place," Tails said, as they arrived at the restaurant around a half hour later.

"I'm surprised we didn't notice this place sooner." Sonic said.

"I know, right?" Knuckles said.

"Hey bro, you okay?" Sonic asked, turning towards Metal.

"Yeah," Metal replied shakily. "Yeah, I'm good. Let's get this over with." With that, he entered the restaurant. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles followed, worried expressions on their faces.

They were momentarily surprised to see Ballora taking notes. She looked up at them and her smile widened. "Hello, boys." She said, walking around her desk to hug them. "It's so good to see you guys again."

"Hey Ballora." Sonic said, returning the hug.

"I'm glad you guys could make it." Ballora said, before her eyes locked with Metal's. "You know, my little sister has been worried sick about you."

Metal clutched one arm with guilt. "Yeah, I figured as much." He said. "That's why I'm here. I want talk with her."

The ballerina-turned-hostess stood up. "So, table for four, boys?"

"Sure," Sonic said. "Lead the way."

She lead them to their table, and asked them for their drinks.

"Lemon-lime, please." Sonic said.

"Same." Tails added.

"Grape soda for me." Knuckles requested.

"I'll just have water." Metal said.

"Okay." Ballora replied. "Coming right up." She left to go get their beverages.

"So," Sonic said. "How are you feeling, dude?"

"Nervous." Metal replied, turning towards his brother. "Now, no matter what happens, don't let me leave without clearing things up with Bianca."

"Got it." Sonic said, and the others nodded.

"Here she comes," Tails said a moment later, his ears perking up.

Metal turned around, a nervous expression on his face, as the clown girl he knew and loved approached, carrying two trays with their drinks on them. She smiled when her eyes locked with her boyfriend's.

"Hey guys." She said cheerfully. "Here's your drinks. What'll it be, boys?"

"You know what?" Sonic said. "Lets just get a whole large pie, and the four of us will split it."

"Okay, sounds good." Bianca replied. Then she turned to face her boyfriend again. "I'm so sorry, Met. I'll have time to talk after your pizza's done. See you in a few minutes, love."

"Wow," Knuckles said. "That was fast." Tails gently bumped his elbow into the red Echidna's elbow. "What?"

A few minutes later, Bianca returned with their pizza. "Alrighty, boys." She said cheerfully. "Dig in."

"Awesome." Sonic said, admiring the food in front of him. Without a second's delay, he pulled a slice from the pie and put it on his plate.

Metal was the last to take a slice, and even then, he didn't start eating right away. Instead, he looked up to Bianca and sighed.

"I know what you're going to say." She said, stopping him from speaking. "You're going to tell me that you don't deserve to be in my presence after the stuff you've done. I'm going to stop you there."

"Wha...what do you mean?" Metal asked.

Bianca looked to either side before smiling. Then she grabbed him by the face and kissed him.

"It means that you don't need to explain anything to me." She said happily. "I understand that you felt ashamed of what you did. That's usually the first step to redemption: acknowledging that you made a mistake. But running off like that was wrong of you."

"Well, after the crap I pulled," Metal said. "I thought you wouldn't want anything to do with me."

"You're not wrong, though." Bianca said. "But I was more worried about you."

"If I'd known you weren't dead," Metal admitted. "I probably wouldn't have snapped."

Bianca set a hand on his shoulder. "Well, stuff happens." She said. "Besides, what's done is done. We can't change the past. We can only move forward."

Metal raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you become so wise, Queen Bee?"

Bianca giggled. "I really don't know." She said, shrugging. "But I just thought one of us should be the voice of wisdom." She smiled. "Okay, I gotta go. See you guys later."

Metal smiled. Then, he remembered something he'd wanted to tell her. "I've had plenty of time to reflect on our relationship." He said.

"Oh really?" Bianca asked. "And what was your conclusion?"

"That I need to be more open with you about things that are bothering me." Metal replied. "Starting now."

"That's nice, dear." Bianca said, before pulling a notepad from her back pocket. She pulled a piece of paper out of it and set it on the table. "Here's your check, boys. Also, for future reference, smashers eat free here."

"Awesome." Metal said, before his eyes landed on the check. "Fifteen Smash bucks for a large pizza?!"

 **A/N: Okay, not where I thought I'd want to end the chapter, but yeah. Metal and Bianca are repairing their relationship, and I'll have a one shot in the works eventually that goes over the incident in greater detail, but I feel like that will drift into M rated territory for dark themes. So, to avoid conflicting with the more light-hearted themes of this story, that story will be separate but concurrent to this one.**

 **The same goes for describing the details in Zelda and Samus' relationship. I mean, I'm not trying to objectify a lesbian relationship, it was just my understanding that two people who are married would take such an opportunity, especially when the two of them haven't seen each other in so long. But again, trying to keep this at a T-rating.**

 **Anyway, I don't really have plans for what the next few chapters will bring, so I might as well get started working more on Mercytale, my Undertale AU story.**

 **Until then, please read, review, favorite, and follow, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out, and may the Force be with you. Always.**


	6. Family Bonding Time

**Disclaimer: See Summary.**

 **A/N: Soooo...remember when I said I would take a break from this story and Two Souls, One Goal to work on Mercytale? Well, heh heh, guess I guess I didn't do a good job with keeping that promise. I just have so many ideas for this story that I want to get down.**

 **I'd also like to establish that I won't be covering every day between the date of the E3 trailer and when the tournament officially begins, because that would be a painful amount of filler. I will be skipping ahead a few days or so in terms of the timeline, and if something interesting happens between time jumps, I'll do my best to have the characters explain it at some point.**

 **Anyway, here's some adorable family fluff for my fellow Samelda shippers. Enjoy.**

* * *

Samus felt like she was going to fall asleep. She lay on her side as Zelda toiled away at her wife's tangled mop of blond hair, a content smile on her face.

"Honestly, Samus." Zelda was saying, even though said bounty huntress was dozing off. "How did you keep your hair from falling out without me?"

"Mmmm..." Samus mumbled, trying to pull herself to her senses. "Don't...know. Too...busy exploring space. Never had time."

Zelda sighed as she pulled the brush in her hands through Samus' hair again. "Well, now that we're back under the same roof," She continued. "You no longer have an excuse to let your hair get so messy."

"Mmmhmm." Samus sighed wistfully. "You're the best, Zelda."

"Thank you, my darling." Zelda replied happily as she returned to her work. Then she accidentally yanked too hard, and Samus snapped awake with a yelp.

"Ouch!" She shouted.

"Oh, goddesses, I'm so sorry, Samus!" Zelda replied frantically. "It was an accident, I swear!"

"Ah, it's okay." Samus said, rubbing the back of her head. Then she turned back towards her wife and smirked. "You know, you could have told me yesterday that pulling hair was your kink. I totally would have acted on that." Zelda blushed furiously, pouting like a child.

Apparently, that was the desired reaction, as Samus started chuckling, her laughter occasionally punctuated by a snort. Zelda huffed and grabbed a pillow from behind her, smacking Samus in the face with it.

"Aw, come on, babe. You know I was joking." Samus smirked, before she adopted a serious face. "Actually, come to think of it, is that your kink?"

"No!" Zelda shrieked, smacking Samus with the pillow again.

"Oh, is that how it's gonna be?" Samus replied, shielding herself from her wife's attack with one arm. "Alright, you asked for it!" She grabbed another pillow and started smacking Zelda with it, and in seconds, both women were engaged in an intense pillow fight. After about a minute, Samus threw her makeshift weapon at the Hylian queen, before tackling her on to the bed.

"Now you're gonna get it, babe!" She warned, as she pushed the hem of her wife's shirt away, exposing Zelda's stomach. She blew a raspberry into Zelda's exposed naval region, earning a frantic squeal from the queen.

"Samus, hahahaha, stop, ahahahaha. No!" She squeaked. "Please, stop, I cahahan't bre-he-heathe!"

Samus picked Zelda up and repositioned her on the bed. In a desperate attempt to escape, Zelda reached up and dug her fingers into Samus' ribs. Immediately, Samus stopped blowing raspberries into Zelda's stomach and fell over giggling. "It's my turn now, Sammy."

"Wait, haha, don't! I'm sorry!" Samus pleaded.

"Too late, Sammy." Zelda replied. "You asked for it." With that, she proceeded to dig her fingers back into her wife's sides, earning sharp yelps from Samus.

It lasted several minutes longer, until Zelda relented, plopping down on the bed next to a very winded Samus. "My fingers are tired."

Samus chuckled, even as she tried to catch her breath. She raised a shaky arm and rested it on Zelda's shoulder. "Oh, gods how I've missed this." She sighed.

Zelda took Samus' hand in her own, pressing it against the side of her face. "Me too, my love." She said softly. She scooted closer and pressed her lips against Samus'.

Samus smiled. "I can only imagine what your court would think of you if they saw this."

Zelda chuckled. "They'd probably scold me for acting like a child." She mused. "But screw what they think."

The bounty huntress raised an eyebrow. "Oh, look at the mouth on you, sweetheart." She chided playfully. "They'd probably frown at that language. You're supposed to be a queen."

"Not around here, I'm not." Zelda replied, kissing Samus again.

"You and I have a lot to catch up with, babe." Samus sighed, brushing a stray hair from Zelda's face.

"That we do, dear." Zelda agreed. She cupped Samus' face with her hands and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

"Wait," Samus mumbled. "The door."

Zelda smiled as she summoned a small orb of light and tossed it at the door, which closed and locked as if of its own accord. "Better?" She asked, turning back to Samus.

"Absolutely," Samus smiled, pulling her wife back into a kiss. Zelda moaned softly at the touch, as Samus' hands traveled to behind Zelda's head. As the kiss deepened, something crossed Samus' mind. She opened her eyes, even as she nibbled on Zelda's bottom lip.

"Wait a minute," She mumbled, even as Zelda continued to kiss her. She pulled away, much to Zelda's surprise.

"Samus?" Zelda whimpered, somewhat upset that the moment was broken. "What's wrong, dear?"

The huntress sat up as her eyes widened. "I just realized how much time I missed with Rinka!" She all but shouted.

Zelda's brow furrowed as she pulled herself up, wiping a bit of drool from her lip. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"I haven't seen my daughter in ages." Samus said. "Do you know what that means?"

"What?" Zelda replied.

"I have so much ground to make up with her!" The huntress shouted, as she pulled herself out of bed.

"Honey?" Zelda asked. "Where are you going?"

"To go do something with my daughter." Samus replied. She walked around the bed and planted a passionate kiss on Zelda's lips. "You want to join us, darling?"

Zelda smiled as Samus helped her get out of bed. "I'd be delighted." She replied.

"Let's go, dear." Samus said.

The two of them made their way to the kitchen, where Bayonetta was reading a book. The Umbra witch glanced up at them as they approached.

"Ah, hello darlings." She greeted. She surveyed their frazzled appearances. "Getting frisky, are we?"

Samus scoffed. "Not this early in the day, unfortunately." She half-quipped. Zelda bumped her elbow into the taller woman's ribs. "Just a very intense pillow fight followed by several minutes of tickling each other."

"Oh really?" Bayonetta asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who won?"

The two looked at each other and blushed. "Neither of us." Zelda replied. "We both got tired and collapsed on the bed."

"I see." Bayonetta nodded, turning the page in her book. "Did you need something, dears?"

"Have you seen Rinka at all, by any chance?" Samus asked.

The Umbra Witch set her book down. "I believe she's playing with some of the other children in the backyard. Why?" She observed how Samus rubbed her arm. "Ah, I see. You want to spend more time with her, don't you Samus?"

"What gave it away?" Samus asked.

"It just seemed like a logical explanation." Bayonetta replied. "Besides, I had an idea of what we could do together."

"You mean you want to join us?" Zelda asked.

"Of course," Bayonetta said. "Do I need an excuse to spend time with my sisters?"

Samus and Zelda glanced at each other, before Samus shrugged. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. What did you have in mind, Cereza?"

The Umbra witch strode over to them and smiled. "I was thinking we could all go shopping together. Just a little girl time."

"That sounds like a fantastic idea." Zelda said. Then she turned to face Samus. "Come to think of it, could we invite Peach and Daisy? I'm sure they'd be thrilled to spend time with Rinka."

"Sounds like a plan, babe." Samus replied, smiling. Then she noticed that said princesses had entered the room.

"You guys mention our names?" The bubbly princess of Sarasaland asked, having shed her signature dress for a crop top and jeans. She was accompanied by her cousin Peach, who had also swapped out her dress for a blouse and miniskirt.

"Yeah," Samus replied, smiling. "We were actually wondering if you two wanted to come with us and Rinka to the mall. You know, girl time."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful." Peach replied happily.

"Heck yeah," Daisy agreed. "I can't wait to meet your daughter. Lunch at the mall sounds awesome."

"Great." Zelda said. "Let's go get her."

* * *

"C'mon, pass it to me!" Ness shouted. Megan, the team captain, quickly passed the ball to him, only for Jake, captain of the opposing team, to swoop in and take it. The blue haired inkling booked it for the goal, where Rinka was staring him down.

"Go ahead, squid boy!" She challenged him. "I'm ready for you!"

"Here it comes, princess!" Jake shouted back as he wound up to kick. The Hylian princess bent her knees, ready to catch the ball. She was in the zone, and nothing could break her concentration.

"Rinka." called her mother, Zelda.

The princess made the mistake of losing focus. Just as she turned to the sound of her mom's voice, Jake hit the ball and it sailed through the air, smacking her in the face. It hit her with a dull thud and she dropped like a stone.

"Oh, shoot, I'm so sorry!" Jake said, rushing over to where Rinka had fallen. He grabbed her by the hand to haul her to her feet. "I didn't mean to hit you, Rinka. Oh, splat it, you okay?"

Surprisingly, Rinka got up fairly easily, brushing the dirt off her clothes. "I'm okay." She said, cheerfully giving them the thumbs up. Then she turned her attention back to her moms, who were watching from the sidelines along with Peach, Daisy, and Bayonetta.

"Hi, mommy, hi mama." She said, running over and tackle-hugging Zelda's leg.

"Hello, sweetie." Zelda greeted, returning the hug. "Were we interrupting a game?"

"Yeah, but it's okay." Rinka replied. "I was gonna take a little break anyway."

"That's great, sweetheart." Samus said, kneeling down and scooping Rinka up in her arms. "We were just looking for you."

"You were?" Rinka asked.

"Yeah," Zelda replied. "We wanted to go shopping in the city, you know, as a family."

"And are Auntie Bayonetta and Miss Peach and Miss Daisy coming with us?" Rinka asked hopefully.

"Absolutely, dear." Bayonetta answered, giving the little girl a loving kiss on the cheek.

"We've been eager to get to know you a bit better, kiddo." Daisy said, ruffling the princess' hair affectionately. "I didn't get to meet you as a baby, but I heard you were super cute."

Rinka's eyes widened and she pouted. "I'm still cute." She argued. The adults just chuckled.

"You sure are, baby." Samus said, hugging her daughter closer. "I just thought that since I missed out on watching you grow up, I figured this would be a good time to make up for lost time."

"That sounds fun." Rinka said.

"Glad you agree." Samus replied. "Because from now on, I'm going to dedicate more of my time to spend with you." She brushed her nose against her daughter's, smiling.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Daisy asked. "Let's go!"

* * *

"I must say," Bayonetta said, as they arrived at the Smash City Mall. "I can't remember ever coming here last tournament."

"Me neither." Samus added. She was holding her daughter's hand as the group navigated through the parking lot. "First for everything, I guess."

"I for one am excited to see what they've got here." Daisy said, a bright orange purse with flower patches on it slung over one shoulder. As they continued to traverse the somewhat packed lot, the sound of a motorcycle caught their attention.

Bayonetta was the first to pause, and a smile tugged at her lips. Suddenly, a red motorbike pulled into the lot at top speed, swerving up and down the lanes as it sped towards them. Samus' eyes widened and she instinctively grabbed her daughter, pulling Rinka out of the way as the bike made a sharp turn and pulled into the parking space in front of them.

"Hey, watch it!" She shouted. "You almost ran us over!"

The figure, a tall woman in a red outfit, wordlessly cut the engine and stepped off the bike. The gathered women finally had time to take in who was in front of them.

"I'm terribly sorry, darlings." She apologized, pulling up her goggles and brushing her long white hair out of the way. "I didn't see you there. I hope I didn't hurt anyone."

"You still know how to make an entrance, Jeanne." Bayonetta replied with a smirk, striding over and kissing her sister on the cheek.

"So nice to see you again, Cereza." Jeanne replied, kissing Bayonetta on the cheek.

"Likewise." Bayonetta replied. Then the white-haired witch turned to face the others.

"I do hope you'll forgive me, dears." Jeanne said apologetically. "I didn't see you there."

"It's fine." Samus grumbled. She set Rinka down. "Just please be more mindful of your surroundings, okay?"

Jeanne glanced down at the young princess. "Oh my." She said, kneeling down to Rinka's level. "You must be Rinka. Cereza here has told me so much about you."

"Hello, ma'am." Rinka greeted cheerily. "It's nice to meet you, miss Jeanne."

"The feeling is mutual, dear child." Jeanne replied with a smile.

"So what brings you here today, sister?" Bayonetta asked.

Jeanne stood up. "I arrived at my apartment and discovered that I only had a day's worth of food." She explained. "And naturally, I knew that simply couldn't stand, so I'm here to get some grocery shopping done."

"Ah, I see." Bayonetta replied, nodding.

"Why are you all here?" Jeanne asked.

"Family bonding, of course." Bayonetta replied. "Samus over there has spent so little time with her daughter. She and her wife decided that they would take advantage of the time they have to spend more time together as a family."

"Well that's just lovely." Jeanne said, smiling. "I hope you have fun, ladies. I'll see you later." She turned around, planted another kiss on her sister's cheek, and strode off towards the mall.

"Well," Peach said once the Umbra witch was gone. "She seemed...friendly."

"Don't worry, dear Peach." Bayonetta reassured. "Once she warms up to you, she'll be your best friend. Quite like a puppy, actually." She smirked and pulled a lollipop from her purse. "Shall we, ladies?"

* * *

The group traversed the mall for the better part of three hours, having lunch in the food court before wandering around for a while.

"So, what do you guys wanna do now?" Daisy asked, as they sat down with a bag of soft pretzels, which Samus began passing around.

"Well, now that we've seen what this place has to offer," Zelda began, taking a bite out of her pretzel. "I guess we could go home."

"Yeah," Samus said, turning to her daughter. "I think our daughter has had enough shopping for one day." As if to emphasize her mother's point, Rinka swallowed a pretzel bite and yawned.

The clicking of heels caught Bayonetta's attention. She turned around to see Jeanne approaching them with a wide grin on her face.

"Jeanne," the dark-haired witch greeted. "Did you find everything you needed?"

"I did." Jeanne replied. "And I looked in the clothes store back there and found the most adorable jacket. I think Rinka would look so adorable in it."

"She's already adorable." Samus chuckled, patting her daughter's head. "But now I want to see her wearing it. What do you say, baby, do you think you could look in one more store?"

"Sure." Rinka replied, crumbling the bag her pretzel bites were in.

"Great." Samus said. "Let's do this."

As the entourage entered the store, Jeanne led them to the section where she saw the jacket. Zelda found it and held it in front of her daughter, as if testing the size. "What do you think, sweetie? Do you like it?"

"I think I need to try it on first." Rinka replied.

Peach looked around before she found the dressing rooms. "There." She said, pointing in that direction.

"Try it on and tell us what you think of it." Samus said, as Rinka disappeared into one of the changing rooms. A minute later, she stepped back out, her hands in the pockets of the denim jacket.

The women gave a collective "Awww," as Rinka showed it off.

"What do you think?" Rinka said as she twirled around.

"You look so cute wearing that thing." Samus said, running a hand through Rinka's hair. "How does it feel?"

"It fits just fine." Rinka said happily, before her smile faded. "But it makes my ears look so big."

"Don't worry about that, baby." Zelda said, grinning. "I had the same problem when I was your age." She and the others started laughing. "I swear, looking back at paintings of myself as a kid, I looked like a chihuahua with those ears." She put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "You'll grow into them, trust me." Rinka started giggling at the image of her mommy with big ears. Zelda placed a kiss on Rinka's forehead. "Do you like it, sweetie."

"Yeah, I love it." Rinka replied.

"Excellent." Bayonetta said, reaching into her purse. "I'll pay for it, dear, just follow me."

* * *

Later that evening, Samus was carrying Rinka to her room, as the little princess was, as she claimed, too tired to walk anymore. "Did you have fun today, baby girl?" Samus asked.

"Yep." Rinka replied sleepily. She was already in her favorite footie pajamas. She cuddled tighter into her mother's arms. "I hope we can spend more time together, mama."

Samus smiled and kissed her daughter's cheek. "Me too, kiddo." She opened the door to Rinka's and Megan's room. The orange haired Inkling was already in there, reading a comic book of some kind. She looked up at the two of them as they entered the room.

The huntress slowly lowered her daughter into the bed. "I'm glad you had such a good time, baby." Samus said, tucking her daughter in. "Now get some rest, okay?"

"Okay." Rinka replied, curling up under the covers. Samus smiled and placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"Good night, Rinka." She said as she stood up.

"Good night, mama." Rinka replied. As Samus reached the doorway, she added, "I love you, mama."

Samus grinned wider. "I love you too, baby." Then she closed the door.

"So, Megan said, turning to her roommate. "Did you enjoy some time with your moms?"

"Yeah." Rinka replied. "Did anything interesting happen here while we were gone?"

"Not really." Megan replied, reaching over and putting a bookmark into the page of her comic. Rinka noted that one end of the bookmark had a plastic squid on it. "Maybe you could invite me to your next outing."

"We would have let you come with us if you'd asked, you know." Rinka said. "It would have been nice to spend time with one of my best friends."

Megan smiled. "I know, but I didn't want to feel like a burden." She said. "You deserved to spend some time with your moms. I feel like I would've just been in the way."

"Don't worry about it." Rinka countered. "Next time we go, you're coming with us."

Megan chuckled as she turned off the lamp. "By the way," She said. "There was a bit of an error, and Nana got moved in with Jigglypuff and Pichu. So it's just going to be the two of us in this room Just thought I'd let you know."

"That's fine." Rinka said. "We'll still get to see her tomorrow."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Megan replied. "Well, I'm going to sleep. See you in the morning. Good night."

"Good night, Megan." Rinka said as she turned over.

As she fell asleep, she was unaware that a pair of glowing eyes were watching her from a corner of the room.

 **A/N: So there you go. A few little cute bonding moments between Rinka and her moms, as well as them with Bayonetta. Any guesses as to who might be watching Rinka?**

 **So, I had a thought. I was considering covering important events that lead up to this story, such as Samus and Zelda's wedding, the discovery that Zelda was going to have a baby, and stuff like that. I can't decide whether to put them in a separate story or as part of dream sequences in a future chapter of this story. Please leave your input for either one. (Note that I may end up choosing it myself anyway if I come up with something.)**

 **This means that I don't have a definite plan for the next few chapters. So I may just go back to Mercytale and work on that a bit more.**

 **Until then, please read, review, favorite, and follow, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out, and may the Force be with you. Always.**


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